The Matchmaking Game
by ShellCottage
Summary: Victoire Weasley and Ted Lupin have always been best friends. Unfortunately for Victoire, Ted only regards her as his little sister, and as he graduates and goes away to become an Auror, she is left with a curious dare to fulfill. The dare could manage to do two things: get Teddy to take her seriously, or make her move on from her unrequited love. Vic is hoping for the first one.
1. Friends

1\. Friends

"Congratulations!" Victoire said, hugging Teddy two or three seconds longer than what was socially acceptable. But it was fine: they were best friends anyway.

Teddy laughed, his arms crushing Victoire and swirling her around. Teddy always did that to her, and the other Weasley or Potter children. He was the big brother everyone wanted to have, and so they looked up to him.

"I'm not a child, Ted." Victoire said to him, as he set her down. Teddy was sporting white blonde hair that day. It was his latest trend, ever since he had seen The Bubotubers in concert the week before.

"Oh, but you still look like one, Vic." he teased, winking his eye and hugging the next relative in line: her mother.

They were all at the Burrow, dinner was about to be served and the occasion was Teddy's graduation party. They were all home for the summer, and Teddy was going to start Auror training in a week. His lifelong dream.

"Don't be an arse!" Victoire said, her mother making a surprised face. "I'm already 16."

"Victoire," her mother said with a reproachful face. "Teddy already knows how old you are, my dear. Don't call him an arse, or anyone else for that matter."

"Sorry." Victorie retorted, blushing slightly. Her mother was always trying to correct her behavior whenever she acted in an unladylike manner. Her father hugged Teddy next, patting him on the back, and then Fleur and Bill went into the kitchen with the other adults, leaving the two friends in the living room. Dominique and Louis had gone up to one of the bedrooms to try out the latest Weasley Wizard Wheezes product their Uncle Ron had given them. The children were outside playing Quidditch.

"Don't worry, Vic." Teddy whispered in her ear. "To me you'll always be my dear sweet little baby sister."

"We are not siblings," Victoire said, looking at him in a daring way. "and I am not a baby."

Teddy laughed again. Harry Potter came strutting in, two glasses with an amber liquid in his hands. He saw the two teenagers in a secluded corner of the living room and came up to them. He offered one of the glasses to Teddy, and Teddy realising it was a glass of firewhiskey smiled broadly.

"Is it ok?" Teddy asked, grabbing the glass form Harry.

"Yeah, sure." Harry patted him on the back. "You're an adult now. And I couldn't be more proud. Graduating as Head Boy and having almost perfect scores at NEWTs, you could have been anything, and you decided to become an Auror like me! You certainly make me proud."

"Thanks, Harry." Teddy said, his smile turning even bigger. "You and Ginny have always been there for me, and I really appreciate it."

"Any time, Tedds." Harry said, patting him on the back once again. He smiled at his godson with honor, and then went away into the kitchen again.

"Why are you so pleased? You've been drinking since you were 16." Victoire said to him, flipping her hair over her shoulder. She liked the way her blonde hair fell all the way to her hips, she felt sexy flipping it.

"But he offered it to me. It's different. This right here is a rite of passage. It's like saying: you are one of us, come and join us." he said, moving to sit down in the loveseat.

"You're so full of yourself, you finished Hogwarts three days ago." Victoire sat down beside him. "And I must say, in this family being Head Boy or having high marks in every subject is not impressive anymore."

"Just because you had awful OWLs doesn't mean high markings are a bad thing either." Teddy teased again, his hair acquiring a bluish tone. _How sexy_ , Victoire thought. For her Teddy was the sexiest with his hair blue.

"Awful? I just did poorly in Divination. And do I have to remind you that I don't need Divination to work as a healer?" she said.

"Then you're glad you're dropping it next year?" Teddy asked.

"Of course." said Victoire smugginly. "I can't wait to focus on more important things. Herbology and Potions ought to be more interesting from now on."

"You're surprisingly bookish." Teddy said laughing.

"You were just the same when you entered your sixth year, so shut up." Victoire said, punching him lightly on the arm.

"I'm glad you're focus." Teddy said, rubbing his arm. "But I'm sure your concentration will last until September 1st."

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you, Vic." Teddy said, leaning into her, the loveseat was small, but the closeness was an advantage for Victoire. "I know you and Dominique. You're always boy crazy."

"That's an utter lie." Victoire defended herself. "And if we do so happen to chase boys, it's not for our own advantage."

"Oh, yes, right." said Teddy, reclining in the loveseat and taking a swing of his drink. "The matchmaking game."

"It's not a game, it's a serious business. We've been making couples for two years now, and most of them are still going strong."

"You're not responsible for that." Teddy looked at her with pitiful eyes. "I don't know what delusions go on inside that head of yours, but you cannot make people fall in love. You can't even make someone in love with yourself."

"I bloody well can!" Victoire said, crossing her arms over her breasts. "I'm not ugly as you seem to think."

"Oh, I have no doubt of your beauty, you have Veela blood in you, anyway. But one thing is making someone lust over you, and the other is making them completely in love, head over heels, no other in the world for me, with you." Teddy said with a smug expression, taking another swing from his firewhiskey.

"I can do that in a matter of days, Ted."

"Alright, then. Do it." Teddy said.

"What?!" Victoire exclaimed. "I don't need a boyfriend right now, thanks."

Victoire felt a pinch in her chest. She already knew Teddy didn't feel anything of the romantic sort towards her, but it still was rather painful to be reminded of it. Maybe she was indeed just his friend, and although they had been the closest of friends for the last 12 years, she had no hope whatsoever of Teddy Lupin ever feeling something more.

"That's what I thought. You already know you won't be able to. And he doesn't have to be your boyfriend. Just make him fall for you, and then you can do with him whatever you want."

"You are a despicable human being." Victoire said disbelieving. "But how would I know he's in love with me?"

"Ask him to meet Bill." said Teddy laughing. "If he accepts then you'll know."

Victoire fell silent for some seconds. It sounded like a fun thing to do this year, without Teddy there, Hogwarts was going to be boring. And she could always dumped the guy when the matchmaking was completed. But still it felt like a betrayal towards her own feelings. She was already in love with Teddy, and accepting his game was like accepting defeat. Maybe it was time for her to do it, Teddy was not going to be hers.

"I'll do it." she said in a quiet voice.

"What?" Teddy looked at her with incredulity. "I was only joking, Vic."

"No, it sounded like a dare to me." her voice grew stronger, as her resolve. "I'll make someone fall in love with me, and then you'll have to take my matchmaking skills seriously."

"You just want a boyfriend." Teddy dismissed it.

"Maybe I do." Victoire said, smirking. If she was going to get the nail out, she needed another one to completely erase him from her mind. "It sounds like a good thing to get out of a dare."

"Alright, then. But he has to be completely-"

"Head over heels with me." Victoire interrupted. "I get it, Ted."

"And it has to be deliberate. If he already likes you, then it won't be your matchmaking skills. It has to be someone that doesn't know you."

"But I have a condition." Victoire said.

"Name it."

"You'll take me to the club with you and your mates tomorrow night." she said, smirking at him with evilness in her eyes. Teddy had forbidden her to come along, he didn't want to look after little kids, and had even made his mind to flirt with some girls and get drunk. But Victoire wanted to be there, not just because she had never seen Teddy drunk, but because it was going to be one of the last times she could see him before he went away to Auror training.

"What? You get a boyfriend _and_ you get to come clubbing?" he asked, annoyed. "That doesn't sound fair to me!"

"Come on, Teddy!" Victoire whined.

"I'll make it even, then." Teddy said, smirking. "You'll have to seduce a bloke of my choosing."

"What?" Victoire crinkled her nose, her disgust apparent. "You're going to appoint some nasty loser, aren't you?"

"Oh, no, my dear Vicky." Teddy said, patting her on the hand and using the pet nickname Victoire hated. "Having a nasty loser as your opponent would be too easy, someone like that would immediately fall in love with you. It's the other way around."

"Who…?" Victoire hesitated.

"How about...Edward Nott?"

"But…" Victoire looked at her friend with distrust. "Nott is a Slytherin, and a pure-blood, _and_ a seventh year!"

"So what? You said anyone would do!" Teddy laughed. "Just take the dare."

"If I accept, would you let me go to the club with you?"

"Yes, alright." Teddy said, waving his hand to dismiss the subject.

"I'll do it!"

So the next night, at 9:30, Teddy Apparated into the Shell Cottage garden. He was wearing a button down shirt and some jeans, his hair still white blond, sticking out in every direction. He was kind of nervous, but he was not yet aware why. And as he made his way to the front door, the uneasiness in his stomach deeply grew. For the last month or so, he had been feeling quite uneasy whenever Victoire was involved. He had started noticing how boys would look at her whenever she went, and he always cursed her for being oblivious to it. She stood out, and he was not comfortable with that. Partly, that was why he wasn't happy about taking her to the club. She was his dear friend, she was like a little sister to him, so looking at all those guys eyeing her like she was a sex toy was enough to make his blood boil.

And yet he had proposed that stupid dare the night before. At first he thought it would be amusing. Pairing Nott to her was quite clever from him, he had thought at the beginning, Nott was a known playboy, and he never took anyone seriously. But as the party at the Burrow continued and he could settle into the idea a little bit more, he started to worry.

He knew Victoire and he was sure she would never do anything with that guy. She was a prude, she could talk about sex and love and read dirty magazines, but in reality it was all a facade. She was as scared of sex as she was of the dark when she was six. He knew Victoire would never do it with a guy she was not in love with. But it was that exact thought that made him start to worry. Nott was indeed a playboy, and playboys always made sure to enamour their victims.

So when he knocked the door and Bill let him in the house, he was completely ready to cancel the dare and accept her matchmaking skills, even if he thought that was utter bullshit. But when she came down the stairs and saw her in baggy jeans and a large hoodie, he decided she was still just a kid, and Nott was not even going to be interested.

"Why are you not ready?" Teddy asked her once she had greeted him.

"What do you mean, Ted? I'm ready to go babysit Albus and Lily with you." she snorted. "Do I need to dress fancy for those brats now?"

"Er, yeah, right." Teddy said, looking at Bill, and then back at Victoire. Bill smiled at him and kissed his daughter before going back up the stairs.

"What's going on?" Ted whispered to Victoire once Bill was out of sight.

"I'll tell you outside." she whispered back, taking her purse from the couch and pulling him to the front door. Once outside she dragged him far away from the house, they walked towards the beach and when the house was out of sight, she yanked him into some tall bushes.

"Papa was not going to let me come if he knew we were going clubbing." she said, taking the hoodie off and revealing the upper part of a tight red dress. Teddy gulped.

"You mean you're sneaking out?" Teddy chuckled. Somehow the image of a rebellious Victoire was laughable.

"No, not sneaking out." she said, unbuttoning her jeans and taking them off. "I'm just not telling them where I'm going."

"And what would they say when you come back in the middle of the night?" Teddy said, watching her take off her white sneakers and pulling out of her tiny purse some big black high heels.

"I'm not. I'm crashing with you." she said, matter-of-factly.

"But I'm crashing at Jordan's. He just got a flat in London."

"Well, then." she said, smirking. "We both have to crash there now."

"You surely are a pain in the ass when you want to." Teddy said, taking Victoire's arm so she could put on her high heels. When Victoire had finished arranging her clothes in the right manner, she took a step back, and with her heels burying in the the sand, she looked at Teddy with dark blue eyes.

"So…" she asked.

"What?" Teddy asked cluelessly.

"What do you think? You know, about my dress?" Victoire stuck out her chest, trying to get a decent response out of Teddy.

"Er…" Teddy only glanced at her figure, and deciding it was not something one does with his sister, he just shrugged and said: "It's fine, I guess."

"Fine." Victoire said, her eyes falling a little. "I'm ready, then."

Teddy grabbed her arm, and concentrating as hard as he could, he took her in a side-along Apparition. It was about the fourth time he Apparated after his test, and he still had to put his full mind into it. Splinching would be a nasty affair to relate to Bill.

They Apparated into an alley in London. They could hear the music blaring off some nearby building and the grimy lights made everything darker. Victoire clung to Teddy's arm. She suddenly felt afraid, and although it was not unheard of, being a 16 year old in the middle of London going clubbing without her parents' approval, it made her uncomfortable. She was a good girl after all.

"Come on, it's this way." Teddy said, leading the way. He blushed slightly, thankful for the lack of lights, when he felt Victoire's breast brushing against his arms. He had never been that aware of Victoire's sex until that point in life.

After walking for a couple of blocks, the music became louder, and they saw the streets were full of clubgoers and night owls. Girls were dressed even more provocatively than Victoire, and Teddy's gaze kept wandering to those long legs and large breasts without meaning to.

"Oi, Ted!" a male voice shouted from a line of people nearby. Teddy went over, Victoire still clinging to his arm. It was Jordan, one of his mates from Hogwarts. He was already in line to one of the clubs, and he made room for them to stand next to him.

"Hello, Jordan." Victoire said, timidly.

"Vicky, I didn't know a good girl like you would like this kind of place." he said, using the horrid pet name.

"Well, I'm all up for trying new things." she said, gaining a little confidence. She had an easy-going personality and Jordan was a nice bloke that she usually talked to at Hogwarts.

"That's the spirit, girl. And may I say you look stunning this evening?" he said, eyeing her from head to toe.

"Thanks." she said, glancing at Teddy for the briefest of moments. He was looking around, not even hearing what Jordan was saying. _He definitely regards me as a kid, if he has to look at other women when I'm practically throwing myself at him,_ Victoire thought.

As the night progressed and the line advanced, more of Teddy's friends arrived. Henry Lucas came with a Ravenclaw girl Victoire had only seen once or twice. Lewis Gardner arrived when they were about to enter the club; he was a serious boy Victoire had liked since she was in her first year and he and Teddy were in their third.

The club was loud and dark and it smelled like booze and cigarettes. Victoire instantly felt overwhelmed, she clenched Teddy's arm tightly, and walked beside him to one of the small tables. They were immediately offered drinks, and with a disapproving look from Teddy, she ordered some vodka with grape juice (the same drink the Ravenclaw girl had taken). Teddy shrugged off Victoire's arm, and took his drink to where Lewis was standing. They started making conversation and pointing out to some girls. Henry and the Ravenclaw girl were snogging at the other end of the table, and after some minutes, they disappeared into the dance floor.

"If you feel uncomfortable, I can take you home." offered Jordan over the music to Victoire. She hadn't notice how close he was to her, and how apart from everybody they had become.

"No!" Victoire immediately responded. "I'm fine! I want to do this."

"My offer still applies if you change your mind." Jordan pressed.

"Thanks." Victoire took a sip from her drink. It tasted sweet, but it burned her throat slightly. She took another larger gulp from it, and she started feeling lightheaded. As the music and the people engulfed her, she drank her drink with more confidence. She started swaying with the music, and when her drink had gone, she had completely forgotten about Teddy ignoring her and had started to openly dance. She ordered a second drink, and after that, she ordered a third one.

"Jordan!" she said over the music, for the boy hadn't lose track of her the entire night. "Come dance with me!"

Jordan obliged. He led her into the dance floor, and grabbed her by her narrow waist. She placed her hands on his shoulders and started moving wildly and sexyly. She brushed her body to Jordan's a couple times, and as she was starting to enjoy the music, and Jordan was moving as wildly as she was, never letting her escape his hands, Victoire felt a hand on her shoulder and she instinctively turned around.

"Teddy!" she giggled, throwing herself into his arms. She heard him telling Jordan off and making some threats about keeping his hands to himself.

"You've drunk enough, Vicky." Teddy said to her, and closing his arms over her body, he hugged her. "I'll take you home."

"I'm completely sober." Victoire said, hugging him back. "Let's dance."

She moved inside his arms, her hips swaying and her arms tossing in a dangerous manner. Teddy remained serious and still, and his hands tried to contain Victoire's movements. But he failed miserably. The girl moved crazily, and he was desperately trying to stop anyone else from touching her.

"Vic, please stop." he implored into her ear. She hugged him by his neck, and brushed her lips to his cheek. She erupted in giggles, making Teddy stiffly disjoin her arms so he could stand straight again. He holded her hand and led her to the table with their drinks. She took a swing from her fourth glass before Teddy could stop her.

"Oi, Victoire." he called to her, taking the glass from her hands. "Grab your purse, I'm taking you home."

"No!" Victoire said in a loud voice. "I can't go home! I'm drunk!"

 _Bill is going to assassinate me,_ Teddy thought. He grabbed her purse with one hand, and took her hand in his with the other one. He could do a Sobering Charm to her, a trick he had recently acquired, but the club was full of muggles and he needed to take her out. He pulled her towards the exit, Victoire protesting and throwing her other arm in the air.

The backstreet of the club was full of drunk people and puke, so he kept walking towards the alley where they had Apparated into. And as they walked, he felt his heart hammering inside his chest. Why did he felt the urge to punch Jordan in the face just then?

"Oi, Teddy!" Victoire called from behind him.

"What?" he was in a foul mood.

"Where are we going?" she stood her ground at the beginning of the alley. They were apart from the crowded street and there was no one else in sight. "I thought we were staying at Jordan's."

"There was a change of plans." Teddy said, looking over her glossy expression and rosy cheeks. She was certainly drunk. "I'll sober you up in a jiffy and then I'll take you home."

"No!" she whined, throwing herself into his arms again. "I want to stay!"

"Come on, Victoire. Hold still." Teddy struggled with Victoire's antics, she wanted to hug him and stay drunk, she was discovering it to be a not so bad sensation. But Teddy kept pulling her from him and trying to aim his wand at her.

"No, Teddy." she said, hugging him even tighter. He sighed and relaxed his body, figuring he could wait until she calmed down to charm her. He patted her head.

"Let's stay." Victoire said, glancing up to his face. "I love you."

"I love you, too." he said, looking down and seeing her shy smile.

"No, you don't get it." she said, frowning.

"What is it?"

"I _love_ you." and then she raised herself on her tiptoes and pulling his shirt, she kissed him on the mouth. Teddy was so shocked he didn't even have time to pull apart. His stomach somersaulted and his eyes automatically closed. The kiss was simple and tender, and even though Victoire was drunk, she didn't try to deepen it. Their lips just touched for the briefest of instants, and yet, for Teddy, it felt like an eternity.

Victoire finally separated her head, and giggled into his chest. She hugged him tightly again and after some minutes, she was calmed enough for Teddy to do the spell. A soft red glow emanated from his wand, and when it was over, Victoire held her head between her hands.

"I feel like my head might explode." she said, wincing.

"It's a secondary effect." he said, shrugging. "I'll take you home now."

"Why are you blushing? I didn't mean to..." she asked, grabbing Teddy's arm so he could Apparate them back into Shell Cottage.

"For no reason." he said, shaking his head and making his blush go away. Victoire noticed his hair had taken a pinkish glow before she felt the tug at the back of her belly botton.


	2. Goodbyes

2\. Goodbyes

Teddy Lupin woke up feeling uncomfortable. He had been feeling that way since that night at the club, three days before. He turned in bed, wishing he could just erase his memory from that night and continue to feel normal. His alarm clock said it was almost noon. He rubbed his eyes and his stomach tingled again. It had been tingling like that for a while now, especially when he thought about that kiss.

"Ugh." he exclaimed, covering his eyes with his arm. He had been trying to suppress it, but Victoire's image was there to torture him again. He remembered her slim frame squeezed into that tiny red dress and he immediately felt pressure inside his trousers. His member was up and ready due to his recent awakening. He couldn't let himself think about Victoire that way. She was like his little sister, for Merlin's sake! But as he turned two, three times in bed, his erection just became bigger and more urgent.

 _I could take care of it once and never think about it again,_ Teddy thought, his hand wandering towards his nether region. He closed his eyes again, his hand drifting inside his boxer shorts and enclosing his hard member. He moved his hand up and down his shaft, slowly at first, trying to remember exactly what Victoire had worn at the club. He remembered her round breasts filling her cleavage, her waist narrowing, and then her hips curving and framing her perfectly full ass.

He started pumping faster and clenching his member tighter, his hand acquiring a nice firm rhythm. A moan escaped his lips, and he closed his eyes strongly, his mind wandering from his memories and making fantasies of its own. He imagined Victoire pulling down the zipper of her dress and revealing lacy red underwear that matched it. He imagined himself tracing her breasts with his finger, and pinching her nipple.

He was close, he could feel his pleasure pulling the lower part of his belly, and as he moved up and down, he let a quiet moan depart his breath. The Victoire in his mind's eye started kissing him and touching him and just as he was about to enter her, someone in the real world knocked on his door.

He immediately sat upright, his hand leaving his erection, and pulling all the covers towards him, trying to conceal his actions. His granma had the best timing in the world, but he couldn't complain, she always knocked.

"Yes, I'm awake now." he called.

"Teddy, can I come in?" that was not his grandma. Teddy cursed his luck, just the girl he was fantasising about. He suddenly felt ashamed, and promised to himself that he wouldn't use Victoire for that purpose again.

"Yes." he replied, tucking the covers more securely.

As Victoire opened the door and took hold of Teddy's form under the covers and a slight blush caressing his cheeks, she felt her own cheeks begin to redden. She was not entirely sure what had happened that night at the club. She remembered giggling and hugging him, and even kissing him all over his face, and she could swear she felt her lips brush his, but she was almost sure nothing else had happened. And if it had, she could always blame it to the fact that they were struggling, and whatever happened was unintentional. She decided that was the best way to act. She walked towards the bed, forcing herself to cheerfully smile at the heap of blankets and crazy hair that was Teddy.

"You're still in bed? Do you know what time it is?" she asked, sitting down at the end of the bed, trying to pull the covers off of him playfully.

"Yes, well." said Teddy, gripping them tightly around him. "I couldn't sleep last night."

"What kept you up? Are you excited?" she smiled at him, the kind of smile she did whenever she didn't show her teeth: sweet.

"Excited?" Teddy was having trouble getting his mind out of the gutter. Flashes of a naked Victoire passed before his mind's eye, and he felt guiltier still. "For what?"

"What?" Victoire scooted closer to him, aligning her body to his, and then she flopped onto the pillow beside Teddy. "Aren't you starting Auror training tomorrow?"

"Ah, yes." Teddy said, a gush of relief invading his chest. He flopped onto the pillow too, and stared to the ceiling. "I'm still a little-incredulous towards the whole thing. I'll be living in my own flat from tomorrow onwards."

"Your own? More like you'll be living in your own room in a communal flat. You've got, what?, five roommates?"

"Three." Teddy said, turning his head towards Vic. She smiled at him again with that sweet smile. He thought she couldn't look more like a little girl than in that moment. She had her hair ruffled by the pillow, and her cheeks were rosy, and her eyes playful. She was still a kid. He couldn't believe he had used this girl in his private fantasies. He felt a shudder.

"Are they all blokes?" Victoire frowned slightly, and deciding she was better off not knowing, she added: "If you got girl roommates, I bet the place would be a bit cleaner. For your own good health I wish for that."

Teddy laughed. He let his white hair become blue and his eyes brown. He could always feel at ease with Victoire nearby, so he let his guard down. His hair always turned blue when he was having fun and relaxing, and his eyes, although naturally brown, almost never were that color.

"I don't know, yet." Teddy said, turning his body towards Victoire, his erection was no longer a problem, and he was feeling better from his guilt. "I'll write you about it."

"Oh, please do!" Victoire giggled. "I'll miss you terribly at Hogwarts. Your letters will brighten my day."

Victoire turned her body too. They were facing each other and she wanted to touch him, just slightly, to say goodbye to him. She elongated her hand and touched his chest. He looked down towards her hand, and grabbed it with infinite delicacy.

"Vic." he said. He was a tad worried about what she had said before kissing him. She had said she loved him, and he was utterly scared of her bringing the subject up again when sober. It felt strange to him to think she regarded him as something else, but the truth is that they had said they loved each other in multiple occasions, and they had always meant it as siblings or cousins or as best friends. Why had that night been different? Could it had been that she had no intention of kissing him like that? She was always kissing his cheeks and hugging him like no big deal, maybe that was it.

"Yes?"

"About…"

"Yes?"

"Nevermind…"

"About the club?"

"Yes."

"Don't worry about it. Papa didn't notice, I think Dominique did, but I can count on her to keep the secret for us." she said sweetly, her hand still firmly pressed against his chest.

"The secret?" Teddy said. He felt himself blush and just shut his eyes tight for a second to make it go away. "There was nothing to be kept in secret."

"I think getting drunk while still being underage qualifies as a secret we have to keep from Papa." Vic laughed.

"Oh, right. _That_ secret." Teddy lifted his hand and made to move out of bed, but Victoire talked again and clenched his shirt before he could move.

"What secret were you talking about?" she enquired. "If…"

"If what?" Teddy asked, feeling that tingling sensation in his stomach again.

"I don't really remember that well. But if…" it was her turn to blush furiously. "If I happened to do something, you can be sure it was an accident."

"Oh." Teddy smiled nonchalantly. "I guessed as much."

"So did I do something embarrassing?" she asked, wincing.

"Not much." Teddy tried, as best as he could, to look unperturbed. "You danced a lot with Jordan, and I must say nobody would take that kind of dance as innocent."

"Oh, no!" Victoire exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands. "I'm glad I'll probably never see Jordan again."

"And you hitted me a lot, too." Teddy laughed. "Your limbs were flying in all directions and hitting me as frequently as possible. You should never hit the person who's watching out for you."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I do remember that."

"It's fine. You kissed me a lot too, so I guess that makes everything even." Teddy laughed.

"I remember kissing you all over your face, too. I'm sorry." Victoire blushed even farther.

"No biggie. You always do, anyway." Teddy shrugged his shoulders and turned away from her. He sat down on the bed and stretched.

"Teddy…" Teddy turned to look at Victoire, and he suddenly felt heart struck. She had lifted herself from the bed, her hair was tousled, and her lips and cheeks were red. Her eyes were serious and ice blue. Teddy gulped.

"Don't forget about me."

"I couldn't do that even if I wanted to. You're a pain in the ass, anyway." Teddy said, turning away from her and morphing his blush out of his face.

"You're right." she simply said and stood up from the bed.

Victoire got out of the room, leaving Teddy to his thoughts. She was probably waiting for him to change his clothes so they could go out. She had asked him to spend the last day with her, and he had accepted before they had gone to the club. But he was then unable to move from the bed. He was feeling rather clumsy and fidgety since the whole club thing. It had definitely been a mistake to take her there, and he was not ready to face what his mind was shouting at him. He couldn't like Victoire as something more than a friend, and he knew now that she didn't see him as anything else, too. She had said everything had been an accident, and the disappointment he had felt at her words was really suspicious. She was his little sister, and he was going to make sure everything remained that way.

He got out of bed and changed into a pair of loose jeans and a t-shirt of his favorite band: The Bubotubers. He looked at himself in his full-length mirror. His hair was still blue. He hated it whenever it changed to blue, it made him seem boyish. He shook his head and it turned to the white-blond hair he was sporting now. With a final glance and sighing his nervousness, he headed downstairs.

"Ready to go?" Victoire asked, crossing her purse over her chest.

"Where are you going, dear?" his grandma asked from the kitchen. "Don't you want to eat some late breakfast?"

"No, thanks." Teddy replied. "I'll eat something wherever we're going."

"Then let's head out." Victoire said, grabbing Teddy's hand and dragging him to the door. "Thanks for the tea, Andromeda."

"You have a big day tomorrow, don't come in late!" his grandma called after them from the kitchen.

After they had gotten out of the house, Victoire led him to the broom shed. She held her broom and gave him his. She mounted and took off, screaming after her that he should follow. Teddy loved to fly, not for anything he had been captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, and having to chase Victoire (who was ruthless when flying was involved) was a fun way to pass the time. He rushed towards her, circling in the air and feeling revitalized by the fresh view of the mountains. Keeping track of Victoire did proved to be a challenged, they had contended against each other for the past two years, Victoire was Seeker for Gryffindor, as he was for Hufflepuff. And he had always admired her enthusiasm for Quidditch. More than once had he lost to her in the field, and he still licked his wounds from time to time.

Soon enough, Victoire started flying high between the clouds. Muggle villages were in abundance in this part of the country and they had to be careful. But Victoire suddenly swooped low, and made him hurry to catch up with her. She dived, and he dived with her. He was matching her for every move and he felt in peace. Victoire finally descended enough to hit the ground and her feet touched the soft grass of a big meadow. Teddy landed right behind her.

"Are you ready?" she asked, grabbing his hand and taking him into the muggle village.

"Where are we going?" he asked, squeezing her hand and shouldering his broom.

"Aunt Ginny did a favour for us." they entered the muggle village, and even though they were a bit suspicious with two large brooms on their shoulders, nobody seem to notice the two young wizards roaming the streets. "Come on, it's right around the corner."

They got into an alley that was surrounded by large brick walls. Victoire took out her wand and tapped the bricks with a musical rhythm. The wall automatically folded itself, revealing a large metallic entrance. She tugged his arm, and walking into the metallic alley, she took out two tickets from her purse. At the end of the alley, there was a bloke at a gate, and giving the tickets to him, he let them in into what seemed the upper part of an stadium.

"What's this?" Teddy gasped, his eyes sinking into the landscape before him. The lights and the hoops and the grass and the players unfolding before him.

"Surprise!" Victoire exclaimed, tugging his arm into one of the chairs. The stadium was empty except for tiny figures at the very bottom, no doubt the couches and the referee. "Aunt Ginny gave me the tickets. She had to pull some strings, but she did it gladly. I know the Montrose Magpies is your favorite team, I'm sorry I couldn't get you into a game, I hope this practice in enough."

"Are you kidding me?" Teddy asked, his eyes glued to the players figures zooming in and out of the field. "This is amazing!"

Victoire giggled. The practice was delightful to both teenagers, as they were both avid Quidditch fans. They followed each movement with excruciating detail, and commented about it eagerly. Teddy's hair, had turned from his usual white blonde to black and white, showing his appreciation for the team. And when the practice ended, Teddy was so elated, that he hugged Victoire as thanks.

"That was unusual." she murmured.

"What?" Teddy said in an absent minded way. "Did you see those flips in the air?"

"Yes." Victoire responded, her cheeks firing. It was true that they had an intimate relationship, and hugging was practically an everyday thing, but in 99.9% of the time, Victoire was the one that hugged and Teddy was the one being hugged. "Let's go, Ted."

"Oh, Merlin. Let me just admire the view a little longer." he said, gazing into the now empty Quidditch field.

Victoire was suddenly heart struck. His white and black hair suddenly started fading to his characteristic blue, and his eyes sparkled. His cheeks were flushed from the excitement and his arms were on his waist, his chest puffed out. If Victoire could etched a moment in her mind for the rest of the year she was not going to see him, this was the way she wanted to remember him.

"Thanks for the farewell gift." he said, smiling at her with his boyish grin.

"It's not over." she said, smiling broadly and taking him by the arm. She laughed and leaded him towards the exit.

"Where are we going?" he said, laughing with her.

"It's tradition, we have to go." she said, tightening her grip on his arm. When they exited the stadium they were someplace else. It was an alley adjacent to Diagon Alley, and around them a bunch of stores specializing in magical creatures stood. She leaded him into Diagon Alley and away from the stores. When they arrived to the heart of it, Teddy's mind remembered the tradition and it came into him.

"Fortescue!" he exclaimed, smiling like a little kid.

"Yes! We ought to have our last ice cream before you go. I'm just sorry this year it won't be while getting our supplies for Hogwarts." she said, giggling.

"Vic, you are one amazing friend, you know." he said, sitting down at one of the outside tables. Victoire followed him and left her broom perched on the railway.

"What's gotten into you, Teddy Lupin?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"What? I can't be nice to my little sister?" he said, mockingly.

"It is unusual, though. First you hug me, and now you praise me? You must be getting sick." she said, wrinkling her nose. "And I am not your little sister."

"I don't know." he said, feeling his face heat up. "I guess I'm just happy."

"Good, that was the point of doing this whole thing." she said. After several minutes, their ice cream arrived and they ate it in silence, just savoring the moment, and to Teddy it felt as if this part of his life was coming to an end. It really was the last time he was going to be a reckless teenager, it was the last time he would be careless and free. It came down on him hard, and he felt a knot in his throat.

"It truly is the last time." he murmured.

"We can always come in a holiday." Victoire said, smiling shyly.

"I hope so." Teddy looked up from his ice cream. "I mean, I don't know when I will be able to come and see you again."

"Don't be over dramatic. We'll still be in contact with each other. We'll owl all the time." she said, reaching out to him. She squeezed his hand, but he withdrew it quickly.

"Who knows." Teddy shrugged. _Why is my heart hammering so fast?,_ Teddy thought.

"What do you mean by that?" Victoire frowned, trying to hide her disappointment about Teddy's reaction. "I still need to report to you about the matchmaking game."

"What?" Teddy laughed out of nervousness. "You're doing it?"

"Of course!" Victoire met his gaze with seriousness. "I'm serious about it, and I said I'd do it, didn't I?"

"I thought you would forget about it." Teddy grumbled. His heart was definitively hammering faster than usual, and his chest started to tighten.

"Oh, no." Victoire said. "I already have plans for it. You'll see."

"Fine." Teddy declared, feeling uncharacteristically grumpy. "Nott would never fall in love with you."

"I don't get why are you so sure." Victoire wrinkled her nose again, looking away from him. "I have veela blood, you know? And I have good references about me being interesting and funny. Maybe you're the only one who wouldn't fall in love with me."

"How could I? You're my little sister." he said, rolling his eyes.

"I am _not_!" Victoire said, her anger taking her by surprise. "We are not related by blood."

"Why are you getting angry? I know that." Teddy laughed.

"Then don't pretend we are!" Teddy's laughed only helped fueled Victoire's anger.

"I'm sorry." Teddy said, slightly astonished. "I was just…"

"Making fun of me." Victoire crossed her arms over her breasts. "You're always doing that."

 _She's pretty when she gets angry,_ Teddy thought. _She even looks sexy with her face flushed like that._ And then he shook his head trying to clear his thoughts. There it was again, the tightening of his chest upon recalling the stupid game and how Nott was going to have her.

"If you want a boyfriend just get it in the conventional way." he said, dismissing the subject.

"I don't want a boyfriend. I want to prove you wrong. I'll demonstrate that not only guys are capable of falling in love with me, but that my matchmaking skills are flawless." she said, taking a more relaxed stance and feeling her anger subsiding.

"Fine. Just don't fall in love with him too. He'll break your heart."

"I can't promise you anything, Ted. I think I'll let things run themselves out." her eyes were dead serious again, piercing into Teddy's eyes, and making his stomach flip and his insides churn.

"Vic, you're just going to end up badly, I can already see it. And I won't be there to pick up the pieces!" Teddy's emotions were all over the place.

"You are so freaking sure I will end up heartbroken and he'll dump me, but you just can't see it, Teddy Lupin! And that's exactly why I need to do it!" Victoire's words were final. She was going to do it, Edward Nott was going to fall in love with her, and when she was sure he was head over heels, she was going to dump him. It sure was silly and childish and even mean, but to her, proving to Teddy that she was desireable was her top priority.

"I'm against it." Teddy declared, standing up and grabbing his broom.

"You dared me in the first place! And you're just afraid you'll lose!" Victoire called after him, grabbing her broom too. Teddy mounted and flew away. Victoire followed him, not losing sight of him not even for a moment. If he flipped, she flipped, if he dived, she dived. And so, after some minutes of that, Teddy arrived at his house. He landed on his front yard and dismounted, exasperated.

Victoire came down next, her hair ruffled and her face pink from the cold air that hit her face. She dismounted too, and she set her serious eyes onto Teddy's face. He looked angry and annoyed.

"Why are you being like that?" she asked.

"Because you're my-"

"Don't say I'm your little sister!"

"I don't know! I just know this will end badly!" Teddy combed his blue hair with his fingers, and then sighed in an exasperated manner.

"For Nott, maybe." Victoire mumbled.

"If you're going ahead with it, just don't give in so easily." he said, feeling embarrassed.

"Give in? You mean having...sex?" Victoire felt her cheeks redden.

"Argh, you know what I mean."

"You know I wouldn't do it if I wasn't-"

"I know. But if you do fall in love with him, just bare in mind that he's a playboy and he'll do it with anyone."

"I won't do it."

"Good." Teddy and Victoire then proceeded to awkwardly stand in front of the other. Victoire was a bit happy about Teddy being against it, but she was sure it was for a brotherly reason, and it bothered her.

"Well, then. I might as well get ready for tomorrow." Teddy said. Victoire stepped forward and hugged him from the waist. She buried her face on his chest, trying to get as much Teddy as possible for the coming year.

"Please be careful." Teddy said. He hugged her back, and as he lay his chin on Victoire's head, he realised something. _Could it be I'm jealous?,_ he thought.

"I will." Victoire said, pulling apart from the hug. "Why is your hair so pink?"

"It is not." Teddy said, shaking his head and turning it blue again.

"It was cute pink." she said, ruffling it with her hand. "I'll miss you, Ted."

"I'll miss you too, Vic."

"Goodbye."

"Bye."

And with that, Victoire mounted her broom again, and flew away.


	3. Playboy

**A/N: Hello, my dear readers! I'm sorry it has taken me ages to update this, I don't know how many people are actually reading this and I'm not really sure if you're enjoying it, but I've written some chapters ahead, and although the smutty chapters a little farther along, I can tell you the plot is advancing quite marvelously. Thanks for reading, and please review to tell me what you think! Your comments of any kind are very welcome! :)**

3\. Playboy

Victoire Weasley was not a nervous person. In fact, she only felt nervousness whenever Teddy Lupin was involved. If it was not him, then she was not interested, and therefore, she never felt even uneasy about boys. And the fact that her veela blood combined with her last name proved that she need not feel uneasy about boys: they were always drooling around her and trying to impress her.

And nevertheless, as she gaze towards Edward Nott at the other side of the Great Hall, she felt a sudden jerk in her lower belly. He was a seventh year in Slytherin, he usually surrounded himself with other Slytherins and even though he was famous for sleeping around and shagging inside broom closets, Victoire had never seen him actually seducing a girl. Maybe she had never looked. He seemed unapproachable for that matter, and for Victoire, no boy was unapproachable. She sighed.

"What's going on? Missing Teddy already?" Dominique asked her sister. She was filling her plate with Treacle Tart and pumpkin pastries. "We've only been back here two weeks, Vic."

"It's not that." Victoire was not sure exactly what should she say to her dear sister, she was her best friend in all Hogwarts now that Teddy was gone, but still, she was a fourth year and she was not going to understand why she was planning on enamouring Nott.

"What? So you have already moved on?" Dominique asked her rather unimpressed. Dominique knew her sister, and for as long as she could remember, she had been completely in love with Teddy Lupin.

"Not really." Victoire declared. "But I'm feeling rather hopeful for this new year, maybe I'll be able to."

"Sure, I'll pay you 100 Galleons if you do." Dominique said, rolling her eyes.

"Oi, so you better open up your Gringotts vault, then." Victoire shoved her lightly. "Teddy Lupin will be out of my mind and my heart by the end of the year, you'll see."

Dominique laughed out loud. Victoire scolded, she kept eating her dinner and glancing towards Edward Nott at the Slytherin table. He was laughing at something other Slytherin Victorie didn't know, said. From her secret gazing, Victoire could see he was popular, and although he payed no special attention to girls, they naturally surrounded him. She could clearly see the boy was good looking, in fact, he was as good looking as it gets. He had dark brown hair, it was messy and spiky in different directions, but it seemed planned as if he knew a messy bed head made him look sexier than any other hair cut. He had piercing hazel eyes and his smile was white and perfectly straight. He had a two day scruff and his jaw was squared and masculine. He was fit (even though Victoire knew for a fact that he didn't play Quidditch), and had broad shoulders and an elegant stance. He was truly a sexy man, and she was having trouble about it.

After dinner, the two sisters went arm in arm to the Gryffindor tower. Louise was playing Exploding Snap with one of his friends and upon seeing his sisters walk in, he motioned them to join him. Louise and Dominique were twins, and it surprised Victoire, as it ever does, how alike they were. They had almost the same face, and although Dominique was a really feminine person, and Louise was exactly the opposite, they did almost the same face expressions and had the same mannerisms.

"No! Louise, you're making me lose!" Dominique exclaimed as her cards started smoking.

"Here, take this one!" Charlie Johnson exclaimed. He was Louise's best friend and constant companion. He took a card from his hand and threw it at Dominique.

"Er-Cheers." she said, taking the card but pointedly turning her face away.

"Mate, now your hand is smoking!" Louise laughed, signaling to Charlie's cards.

He desperately tried to grab a card from the deck, but just as his hand had landed on a pair and had smiled broadly, his cards exploded. Louise and Victoire dissolved in laughter, as Charlie's face was covered in sod. He rubbed his eyes and looking towards Dominique, he smiled.

"I have to go." she said, standing up from the table and walking towards the fireplace. Victoire smiled apologetically to Charlie and she followed her sister.

"What's up?" she asked, sitting beside her in the loveseat. "You've been acting funny since we came in."

"Oh, it's nothing." Dominique said, dismissing the subject by waving her hand. "I'm just tired, I think I'll go to bed."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." she went away, looking one last time to where Charlie and Louise were sitting down. Some other fourth years had joined them in their game and a new round was beginning.

Victoire's preoccupation about her sister's weird behavior only lasted the night, as the next morning walking over to the Greenhouses she spotted Edward Nott rounding a corner outside his charms classroom. He was playing with a blue flame in midair for the amusements of his Slytherin friends. A blonde girl was holding his arm, and fake laughing as he twirled and danced the fire about the hallway.

Victoire's first reaction was to hide. She ducked behind the wall, feeling a million butterflies explode inside her stomach. She watched him with growing insecurities, he was perfect, it wasn't even funny how he could act so cool and be as good looking. He seemed even more unapproachable than before. How was she suppose to make him fall in love with her? Maybe Teddy was right, if she had the beauty and the charm and the intelligence, she couldn't even make the guy she loved fall right back in love with her.

As her musings continued to ramble inside her head, a loud pop behind her surprised her so much that she lost her balance, falling face first into the hallway where Edward Nott and his entourage were fooling around. The whole hallway stood silently, looking towards Victoire's fallen form.

"Aaaayee! I got you little Wizzy!" a loud voice boomed through the hallway, and then sliding in came Peeves, laughing his head off and circling Victoire. He laughed for some seconds and then he slided off, a loud pop then being heard at another spot in the castle.

"Peeves…" Victoire murmured, feeling her face red and her stomach churning in a violent fashion. She didn't dare look up to Nott right away, but eventually she did, standing up and shaking the dust off of her skirt.

He was looking directly at her, his expression serious and his eyes piercing. His peers were all laughing at her, but he remained undaunted. She felt herself redden even more, and turning away she rushed out of the castle to the Greenhouse.

"I heard you had an accident with Peeves." Haley White asked her inside the Greenhouse. She was her roommate and a good friend of hers since her first year. She had jet black hair and a cute smile. She and her boyfriend Steven, from Ravenclaw, was one of the first couples Victoire had matched a year ago.

"Word traveled fast." Victoire shrugged, smiling at her and getting her hands inside some protective gloves. "Peeves scared me and I fell."

"Glad Teddy wasn't around to see it?" Haley said, getting the Spiky Prickling Plant they were to repot. "He would've made fun of you."

"Yeah, we would. He certainly is a prat." Victoire said, grabbing the plant by its thorns and pulling it out of the pot.

"But you miss him terribly." Haley declared.

"I guess."

"You're awfully calm about it." Haley tugged on the pot and the plant released itself. She quickly grabbed the new bigger pot and Victoire placed the plant in it.

"Why shouldn't I be?" she said. "I don't mind."

"Of course," Haley looked at her with knowing eyes. "being away from the boy you love is fine by you."

"I'll move on. 12 years of unrequited love is enough for a lifetime." she said, feeling a warm sensation invade her chest.

"I'll believe you when I see it, Vic." Haley said, patting the new dirt inside the pot.

"It's not a joke. I already have someone in mind, actually."

"Who?" Haley asked, her attention immediately snapped to Victoire. "You having a crush on someone other that Teddy is really something rare."

"It's not a crush. I don't fancy him in that way."

"Then?"

"Let's just say we look good together." Victoire concluded. even though Haley tried time and time again to make her reveal the identity of this secret crush, Victoire didn't say a thing. She was aware of the opposition the match would create, and she needed to fulfill the dare no matter what. When the class ended it was lunchtime, and Victoire and Haley went into the castle feeling hungry. But just as they were about to enter the Great Hall, Victoire caught a glimpse of Edward Nott and the blond girl walking hand in hand towards the dungeons.

 _He really is a playboy_ , she thought. Her gaze lingered in the couple as they walked and laughed and she started to feel butterflies again in her lower belly. And just as they rounded the corner towards the dungeons, she saw Nott looking in her direction for the briefest of seconds, and then they disappeared.

The sight made Victoire uncomfortable. The rest of the day went by with her recalling Nott's stare in her direction when she fell in front of him, and how his eyes were darker when talking to the blond girl and leading her towards the dungeon. She could imagine what they did after she lost sight of them, and it made her even more uncomfortable.

While sitting down at History of Magic, her last lesson of that day, she started to daydream about it. She had imagine sex scenes and of course she had touched herself in several occasions, but she usually did it while thinking about Teddy. It was weird to imagine Nott instead of Teddy and it was even weirder how she actually enjoyed it in her mind. She imagined Nott's breath over her neck and she imagined him caressing her breasts and pressing herself towards his hard member. She started to get aroused. She hotly sighed into the palm of her hand and crossed her legs under the table. When class was finally dismissed she rushed out, wanting to step into the bathroom to clean herself from the wetness that had suddenly assaulted her.

"Have you had enough?" she heard someone called behind her. She turned around and she saw, to her amazement, Edward Nott lurking in a shadowy corner. She could hear the voices of the rest of the student body getting out of class, and it only served to make her even more uncomfortable.

"Excuse me?" she asked, her face reddening.

"I've seen you, you know." he said, stepping forward and reducing the space between gulped. Nott was even sexier in the dim light and up close.

"Well, I'm kind of hard to miss with my last name and all." Victoire laughed softly at her own joke. She took a step back, suddenly feeling dizzy from his approach.

"That's not what I meant." he said, crossing his arms over his chest. He smirked and then stepped closer. Victoire felt the urge to run away.

"I don't understand." she said, backing up to the wall. She could still hear the voices of the other students, but as everybody was going down to dinner, nobody had seen them on the hallway that went to the bathrooms.

"You've been staring at me for the last two weeks." he said, closing the space, and just as he was close enough for Victoire to feel his body heat, but not close enough to touch her, he whispered: "Are you attracted to me?"

"Oh, Merlin." she mumbled. She blushed furiously and his smirk broadened.

"I could help you with that." he reached for her face, but as his fingers were about to touch the skin of her cheek, she swatted it away.

"I'm not interested in that." she declared.

"What, don't you feel hot being this close to me?" he said, caressing the skin of her arm instead.

"No." she said, crossing her arms over her breast protecting them. "I feel like running away actually."

"Then it's your lost." he said, stepping back. "I don't repeat my offers."

"You can take them." she said, pressing herself onto the wall. He smirked and then turned away and walked nonchalantly towards the Great Hall.

Victoire slid down and sat on the floor for several minutes, trying to make sense about what had just happened. He had actually offered to shag her, and she had refused. She had certainly been scared, it was the first time a bloke had made such an approach to her, and even though she felt kind of glad Nott considered her worth shagging, she was still nervous about the whole thing.

 _I won't do it,_ she thought. _Teddy can shove his stupid dare in..._ But the truth was that she was not doing it for Teddy, she was doing it for her. She needed to see if she could actually make a bloke fall in love with her, because after all, she was afraid something was wrong with her and Teddy saw it clearly, that's why he didn't want her.

She considered the whole thing sitting down on the cold stone floor. And after the sun had completely set and voices of students returning to their common rooms reached her, her resolve was made. She was going to seduce him, but she was not going to let him touch her. And just as he was hopelessly and completely in love with her, then she would consider again her own feelings.

She entered the Great Hall and spotted Louis and Charlie eating dessert at the Gryffindor table. She sat down with them, and filled her plate with chocolate pudding.

"Oi, Louis." Victoire called over their conversation. "what's going on with Dominique?"

"What do you mean?" Louis said, still laughing at something Charlie had said.

"I haven't seen her all day and she was not at lunch." Victoire commented.

"Who knows. That girl is a mystery to me." he said, dismissing the subject.

"Is she ill?" asked Charlie.

"No, I don't think so." Victoire declared. "Why, you know something?"

"No…" Charlie said, lowering his eyes. "I bet she'll be fine in a couple of days."

"Why do I feel you do know something?" Louis asked Charlie.

"I was just stating the obvious." Charlie shrugged.

A loud laugh made them all turn around. At the Slytherin table, the same blond girl was fake laughing at what Nott had said and every eye that still remained in the Great Hall turned to look. Victoire felt uneasy. He said his offer was not going to be repeated, and she still needed him to fall in love with her. If he was so unapproachable then she needed to come up with a plan.

But as things turned out, as they usually did, Victoire didn't have a plan the next time she and Nott saw each other again. He was at the library, looking for a book, and she happened to stumble with him as she was looking for a potions book to finish her essay. She immediately hid behind a bookshelf, looking at him from behind the books. He didn't seem to notice, and Victoire spied on him with rising panic. What was she suppose to say to make him fall in love?

"Are you back to stalk me?" Victoire heard Nott asking. He had his back to her and was looking at a book.

"I'm not stalking you." Victoire said, gaining a bit of courage to come out of her hiding place.

"Then what do you call hiding in a corner and looking straight at me?" he said, still looking at his book.

"It was a coincidence." Victoire said, her toe hitting the floor. "The library is a public place, you know?"

Nott closed the book, he turned to look at her, but his face was serious. "Do you constantly hide at public places? Or just at hallways and libraries?"

"Hallw-?" Victoire felt her face turn bright red. He had seen her since the beginning, not just when Peeves scared her. "I was not hiding."

"I told you, I noticed you were looking at me since we came back to Hogwarts." he moved closer. "But I must tell you, if you don't want to shag, then I can't help you."

"I…" Victoire was at a loss for words, this bloke was stunningly straightforward.

"Oh, I see." Nott said, smirking. "That's it. You fancy me."

"No!" Victoire said a little too harshly.

"I'm sorry, I don't want a girlfriend right now."

"And I don't want a boyfriend."

"You're confusing, Victoire Weasley. You say you don't want to shag, and you say you don't want a boyfriend, and nevertheless, here you are, stalking me."

"I am not stalking you." Victoire crossed her arms over her breasts. "And the only reason we are talking to each other is because you initiated it. Maybe _you_ fancy _me_."

"Hmm." Nott hummed, stepping closer and crossing his arms over his chest too. "Maybe I do. You're sensual and blondes are definitely my type. But contrary to what most of Hogwarts seem to think, I like shagging a girl at a time, and I'm sorry to tell you but I'm currently perfectly fine with my fuckbuddie."

"That is indeed hard to believe." Victoire said, trying to look comfortable discussing so openly Nott's sex life, and failing miserably. "I thought you constantly shagged in broom closets and empty classrooms."

"I do." he said, smirking. "But if I went around and fucked a different girl every night, don't you think it would be hard to keep tabs and be prepared? I like being prepared."

"Meaning?"

"I make sure, my dear, that the girl I'm fucking takes precautions and goes with me whenever I want to shag. If I take whatever girl throws herself at me, then she wouldn't be etched to my liking, don't you think?"

"That's awfully controlling." Victoire mumbled, coloring even more.

"Not really, I just don't want an accident." he said, stepping back. He took another book from the shelf and sat down at a large table where all his books and parchments were laying. He took a quill out and started scribbling, opening the book at a random page. Victoire inspected the bookshelf in silence, and after some moments of furiously panicking, she calmed down and found the book she was looking for in the first place. She grabbed it and seeing Nott's table empty, she went and sat down opposite him.

"What are you doing?" he asked, not looking up from his parchment.

"Homework?" she asked, an eyebrow raised at him, as if it was something obvious.

"I see that." he said, calmly. "But why here?"

"Because it's a public place and your table was empty." she said, flipping her hair out of her face.

"If I am sitting down at it, then clearly it is not empty."

"I won't bother you."

Nott sighed, and he started folding up his parchments and closing his books. He crossed his messenger bag over his shoulder and upon seeing Victoire's confused face he said:

"Don't stalk me anymore, Weasley. It's not even cute."

"I was not stalking you." she mumbled as he left the library.

Victoire felt a little downhearted after that. She was clearly not as alluring as she thought if he couldn't even stay at the same table as she was. She brooded about it for the whole evening and most part of the night. She had no bloody idea as to how she should proceed. He was clearly not interested and she was clearly clueless as to what to do or say to him. Getting a boyfriend was always this hard?

But her somber thoughts were washed away next morning. Victoire had come down to breakfast feeling dejected, but seeing her sister at the Gryffindor table, looking so cheerful and light, made her smile.

"Hey, you." Victoire said, sitting down behind her. "I haven't seen you in a while. What happened to you?"

"I was busy, that's all."

"With what?" Victoire asked.

"With homework and the like." Dominique dismissed the subject with the wave of her hand.

"Homework? You?" Victoire said, taking a plate of whatever was being served. "Then I know it was not homework."

"It's nothing important."

"Then tell me!" Victoire said, feeling slightly offended.

"All right…" Dominique started. But as she was about to open her mouth and confide in her older sister, the morning post came flying in, and a letter landed right in Victoire's plate, grabbing her attention.

"Argh," Victoire exclaimed. "I think they aim at the food on purpose!"

Dominique laughed. "Who is it from?"

Victoire grabbed the letter and her heart quickly fluttered: It was a letter from Teddy. She practically ripped the envelope and hastily unfolded the single piece of parchment. She read aloud:

" _Dearest Victoire, Dominique and Louis,_ (Victoire's heart sank upon seeing she was not the only one addressed.)

 _Auror training is going wonderfully, except for the few occasions in which Harry comes and train us. He is a yielding madman. Last week he made us all do drills under the rain for five hours and then he made us wash our uniforms without magic, just to make us go back out in the rain to do some more drills! But rest assure that he is making me a really awesome Auror, and I'm glad to report that Ron's training is milder and, thank Merlin, he's the one that usually train us._

 _How's Hogwarts now that I'm not there? I bet you're all going insane from Teddy withdrawals. Hahaha._

 _I'm sorry I can't write a longer letter but I haven't done much apart from training, and I guess I´ve missed you, guys, that's why I wrote. And also I have a surprise: we are doing some practice stake out at Hogsmeade in November, and I really hope to see you guys when I finish._

 _See you then,_

 _Teddy._

 _P.S.: Victoire, I want to see how much progress you've made, although I suspect you have already given up._

"Progress?" Dominique asked, once Victoire had finished reading. "With what?"

But Victoire was not listening to Dominique at all. She folded the letter again, and stood up from the table. She had to prove to Teddy before November that Nott was, if not in love, in the right track on becoming so. She was going to show him how able she was when it came down to it.

 _Just you wait, Teddy Lupin,_ she thought. _I need to become more aggressive in my approach._


	4. Annoying

4\. Annoying

Victoire had made it her task to talk to Nott everyday. She tried to casually get close to him while changing classrooms, she would look for him in the library, and then she would say hello to him, and if he was alone, she even dared to make conversation. Most of the times, Nott responded with indifference. And just as October was coming to an end, Victoire realised she was not making any progress whatsoever. It was getting frustrating.

"You're here again?" Nott said, sighing and closing his book, returning it to the bookshelf.

"Hello." Victoire said, shyly. She held her hands at her back, and swaying slightly she walked towards him. "It was a coincidence-"

"Coincidence my ass." Nott said, calmly. "You are a textbook stalker, Weasley. I wouldn't be surprised if you knew my schedule by heart."

"I just happen to be looking for a book. I told you, Nott, the library is a public place." Victoire said, shrugging.

"All right, then." Nott answered, coming closer to her and standing a heartbeat away. By then, it was becoming a habit for him to stand so close and try to intimidate her. She no longer felt uncomfortable whenever he did that. "Wanna get out of here?"

"Why?" she said, smiling innocently up at him. "Are you taking me somewhere?"

"If you'll let me," he said, licking his lips. "I could take you to the nearest broom closet and then…"

"And then what?" she asked, smugness in her eyes. "Are we getting cleaning supplies?"

"You know, Weasley," Nott said, chuckling and stepping back. "You sure are annoying. Has anyone told you that before?"

"Not really. I've been called worse, actually, so annoying would be an improvement." she said, stroking her chin as if trying to remember.

"I don't get you." Nott sighed again and returned his attention to the books. "Why do you bother me so much?"

"It's not planned, I just saw you and thought I should say hello." Victoire said, scanning the books with her index finger.

"But why? We're not friends, and apparently you don't want to fuck, and even though I warned you that I'm not looking for a relationship, you still come back." he turned his head to her, inspecting her carefree face. "Then why?"

"Maybe I just think you're not such a bad person, that's all." she said, shrugging again.

"So what are you saying?" Nott asked.

"That we should be friends."

"No way in hell. You are the most annoying girl I know."

"Gee, thanks." Victoire wrinkled her nose to him.

"Well, I'm sorry, dear," Nott turned around to face her, his shoulder leaning on the bookshelf. "but you are. You talk about foolish things and make that stupid timid face, and then you expect me to answer you as if I cared."

"That talks a whole lot worse about you than about me." she said, facing him and leaning on the bookshelf too.

"I'm more into more mature women, you know."

"You don't have to be into me to be friends, you prat." Victoire said, stepping forward. "You just have to enjoy my company."

"Well, that's the thing. I don't."

"Why not? You seem amuse whenever I'm around."

"You're a stalker, and you give me the creeps." Nott said, leaning forward so he could see her straight to the eye. "I get the feeling you're a psychopath."

"Just because we happened to be in the same places once or twice…"

"More like a hundred times. Please don't talk to me again. All that stalking and being cutsey on purpose, it makes me angry."

"I just want to be your friend. Shagging is not actually in my plans." Victoire crossed her arms over her breasts. In the close proximity they were, she clearly saw Nott's eyes flicking to her squished bosom for an instant, and then back at her face.

"I don't think that's going to work. I don't have female friends, it's just sex or complete indifference. You choose." he said.

"Well, then, I guess I'll choose indifference." Victoire said, uncrossing her arms and turning to the books again.

"Thank Merlin, I wouldn't touch you even with a ten-foot-pole." Nott turned to the books too, and finding the one he needed he took it out of the shelf. "Don't come near me anymore, you really are annoying."

Victoire saw him gather his belongings and walking away. Her insides were aflame. She was not going to make it, the Hogsmeade visit was a week away and she was nowhere near her goal. If fact, she was even farther away, she just managed to pissed him off, instead of gaining his liking. She was in the negative numbers and she was really at a loss.

And although her mind was reeling trying to come up with a plan to have him in a week, she still needed to occupy her mind with other things, like Quidditch. The first match of the year was between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and the next morning as she prepared herself for it, she decided concentrating on one thing at a time was best.

She set out with her broom on her shoulder towards the Quidditch pitch. By now the tingling she felt every time a Quidditch match approached was welcomed. She got reeled in the feeling and although playing came naturally to her, she always prayed to Merlin not to disappoint her uncles and father. Being a Seeker in this family meant being better than Uncle Harry and that was scary. She entered the locker rooms and the whole Quidditch team was already changed and ready.

"Vic, today no distractions, okay?" Jessica Reynolds called to her. She was the Quidditch captain and a seventh year. During practice Victoire's mind had been filled with Teddy and Nott and her insecurities, so looking out for the Snitch had been hard. But Jessica always said the right thing and always encouraged her to keep at it. So she felt a little more confident as the time for the match approached.

But as they entered the Quidditch pitch for the game, Victoire had a first glance of the new Slytherin Seeker. Terrance Flint was a big bad gorilla with a menacing smile and a scary frown. She had heard the rumors of him being the biggest fourth year, and yet having mad skills with the broom. But seeing him and hearing the rumors was different. Victoire started to feel nervous, and when Madam Hooch made the Gryffindor and Slytherin captains shake hands, Flint gave her an even nastier smile. Victoire gulped.

Madam Hooch sounded the whistle and off they went in their brooms. As Jessica had instructed, Victoire hovered above the stands and the hoops and scanned the Quidditch field with eagle eyes. She could see the students in red and gold cheering madly as Haley White scored a goal in the Slytherin goal post. Victoire circled around the field in search for the Snitch, but the little golden ball was nowhere to be found. She then flew near the Slytherin stands. She had promised herself she was not going to think about him, but she needed to see if at least he was not avoiding her. So she flew, with her eyes set in the crowd, looking for Nott.

He was there, all right. But he had that blonde clinging to his arm as per usual. Victoire felt her insides churned. She knew she had no right to, it was only a dare, but she couldn't help feeling jealous. That blonde girl was the reason Nott was not interested (or so Victoire thought in her jealous mind) and she was starting to feel annoyed by the sight of her. And as she circled the stands and tried to conceal the fact that she was eyeing Nott and his "friend", Jessica called out to Victoire.

"Down there!" Jessica said, blocking a Quaffle that came rushing to her goal post. Victoire glanced down, and at ground level she could see a gleam of gold, and right behind it, Flint was gaining speed, his arm outstretched. She dived, pushing her broom with all her might, silently begging it to go faster. She managed to pull out of the dive and join Flint in the race to the Snitch. They were both with their hands in the air, both their fingers grazing the golden ball, and just as Victoire's fingers closed to get it, she felt Flint pushing her out of the way. She was not grabbing securely her broom, and that violent push sent her flying to the grass, she saw green and closed her eyes as her shoulder made contact with the grass, and an abominable pain seared through her left arm.

She stayed there, her nose buried in the grass. She might have lost consciousness, for when she opened her eyes again, she was looking up to her Quidditch team and they had preoccupied expressions in their faces.

"What happened?" Victoire asked, trying to stand up, but a painful stab on her left side prevented her from doing so.

"Flint knocked you off your broom." Haley said.

"We tried to appeal to Madam Hooch, but…" Louis began.

"She said it was fair, Flint was going for the Snitch, not for you." Charlie said.

"Appeal?" Victoire asked, mildly confused.

"We lost, Vic." Louis said, eyeing sadly to Jessica who was scowling by her feet. As Victoire took in Jessica's disappointed face, she realised she was in the hospital wing.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered, trying with all her might not to let spill the guilty tears that were forming in her eyes. If she had just contained herself and stopped looking at bloody Edward Nott.

"We can still make a combat, if Ravenclaw loses by more than 250 points to Hufflepuff, and then Hufflepuff scores less than 50 points against Slytherin, we might get our chance to play Hufflepuff and if we win by-"

"Forget it, Louis, our chances are ruined, we lost by so many points we are not even on the charts anymore." Jessica said, sighing. She came closer to Victoire, and patting her lightly on her uninjured shoulder, she said:

"Just concentrate on getting better, and you can try again next year."

Victoire felt awful the whole time she was in the hospital wing. She was the reason Gryffindor was not even a contestant for the Quidditch cup this year. Everything was going downhill and not even seeing Teddy on Saturday would be much help for her dreadful mood.

Madam Pomfrey let her go on Friday evening, just in time to have dinner. But Victoire's ribs were still healing and her left arm was still in a bothersome cast. She was not really hungry and her hunger diminished once more when she entered the Great Hall. Every Gryffindor eye was set on her, and they made perfectly clear their disapproval. She was the infamous Victoire Weasley now, the girl who had not caught the Snitch when she should.

"Forget about it." Dominique said upon seeing her sister standing between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables, looking dejected. Victoire went to sit down beside her.

"At least you look in a better mood." Victoire said, refusing the food right in front of her.

"What are you talking about? I have always been in a perfectly fine mood." Dominique dismissed her with the wave of her hand.

"Right," Victoire rolled her eyes. She regretted doing so, for her eyes met briefly with Nott's from across the hall. He was looking directly at her, but as their eyes met, he looked at his blonde companion again. "so you're always evasive and irritated."

"Not with you…" she said, partly admitting her doings. "Things have been awkward, that's all."

"Awkward with whom?" Victoire pushed forward trying to get the Slytherin out of her mind.

"Let's not talk about it right now." Dominique said, scanning the Gryffindor table up and down, and then searching the rest of the hall. She looked up to the Slytherin table and she smirked. "Let's talk about your new admirer."

"What?"

"While you were at the hospital wing, someone asked about you. And I cannot fathom why, other than he being interested in you." Dominique said, her eyes sparkling.

"Who?" Victoire asked a little wearily. She was hoping Nott would have, and that hope scared her a little.

"Edward Nott, Slytherin playboy and seventh year hottie." Dominique revealed gleefully.

"Oh, Merlin." Victoire gulped. Why did that felt so wrong? She was starting to fear this dare thing was consuming too much of her mental space, not only her Quidditch was affected, but her being jealous, was not a normal thing to be. "What did he say exactly?"

"Well, not much. You know those broody Slytherins. He just asked how were you doing and if you would be out of the hospital wing soon." Dominique shrugged. "But I didn't know you even knew him. That surprised me a little bit."

"We have coincided once or twice in the library."

"He must have a crush on you to ask so bluntly." Dominique said in an excited tone.

"That's just how he usually asks things."

"Say whatever you like, Victoire, but I truly believe he fancies you."

So next morning, while she and Dom made their way towards Hogsmeade she had butterflies exploding in her insides. Why was she suddenly fearing meeting Nott? He had asked for her, but he made quite clear he was not interested, he still had his blonde plaything and if anything, Victoire should feel disgusted by his continuous advances. But she was not, she didn't want to admit it, but in fact, talking and being approached by Nott had been fun, his constant remarks about his desire to shag her and his witty comments had been something entertaining, something different that she never did with Teddy.

"There you are!" Victoire heard a voice behind them and she instantly turned around to face it.

Ted Lupin was looking down at them, his Auror robes in pristine condition and the only thing that felt out of place was his bright blue hair. He was smiling goofily and his face was tender and sublime. He took Victoire's breath away, in her concern about Nott and the recent butterflies and confusion she was feeling she had forgotten how much she really loved Ted.

"Did you finish your stake out?" Victoire asked in a small voice.

"Yeah, it was last night." he stepped in to hug Dominique and then he turned to Victoire. But Victoire unconsciously backed away. "Come here, you're not saying hello?"

Victoire scanned the crowd rapidly, her eyes set for a second on Nott who was with some other Slytherins entering the Three Broomsticks. He looked at her too, and then his eyes moved away. She smiled up at Teddy and then stepped in into his embrace. He smelled nice and fresh and he felt like home. Victoire decided that whatever was going on with Nott, it was never going to be like what she had with Teddy.

"What happened to you?" Teddy asked her.

"I fell off my broom." Victoire said with a half shrug.

"But are you ok?" he said, stepping closer and caressing her injured arm. "It must have been a nasty fall."

"It's fine now. Mrs. Pomfrey wouldn't let me out of the hospital wing without the cast."

Dominique spotted Louis and Charlie at Honeyduke's and waving at them she went to join them. Victoire and Teddy stood silently in the middle of Hogsmeade, awkwardly looking around.

"I've miss you, you know?" Teddy said without looking at her.

"We've been friends for a long time, it's normal." Victoire said.

"I guess." Teddy looked at her with caution. She was looking straight ahead, and he saw her bleached, and quickly turn her eyes elsewhere. He followed her line of vision, and to his surprise, he saw Edward Nott coming out of the Three Broomsticks with a hot blonde clinging to his arm. "Not much luck, eh? With Nott I mean."

"I wouldn't say that." Victoire mumbled. What was going on with her? Nott was far too much inside her head and she couldn't help it. "Actually I pushed him away."

"You did?" Teddy's attention snapped onto her. He faced her, a surprised look on his face. "What did he do?"

"I doesn't matter now." she said, slightly hurt by it. "He won't do it again."

"He won't do what again?"

"I told you it doesn't matter."

"I swear to Merlin, Victoire," Teddy said, throwing his arms to the air. "if he tried to get advantage of you I'm going to kill him!"

"He didn't do anything!" Victoire suddenly exploded. Various students walking by them turned to look and feeling embarrassed she lowered her voice. "He just offered his...services to me! He said that if I wanted to shag he will be willing, but he refused anything else."

"He...I'm going to kill him!" Teddy whispered in a mad ranter. "That prat is barking if he thinks he can get away with-"

"I told you!" Victoire whispered urgently, grabbing his arm. "He won't do it again!"

"Did you do something with…him?" Teddy lowered his eyes, and looking at Victoire's figure he gulped.

"No. I mean, it was part of the dare, right. I had to make him fall in love, but it turns out he just wants to…"

"Were you flirting?" Teddy didn't dare to look at Victoire.

"It's a dare. I had to."

"Vic, do you like him?" Teddy's voice came out as a croak, and his hair suddenly started turning pink.

"No." she said quickly, but then her stomach somersaulted.

"Then let's call it quits." Teddy said, his eyes set on hers.

"But I'm kind of…" was Victoire really that entertained that she was willing to keep up the game? Maybe she had started to have a thing for him. But it pained her terribly to let go of her feelings towards Teddy. "Why do you want me to stop?" she asked barely above a whisper.

"What do you mean why?" Teddy's hair became completely pink, he shook his head slightly to make it any other color, but his white hair still had a pinkish glow to it. "He's going to do something to you!"

"So what? What's the difference to you?" Victoire asked, her eyes dead serious.

"What are you saying, Vic? I care about you, I don't want you to get hurt!"

"How?" she asked.

"What?" he asked her in return, his face contracted in a frown. "How what?"

"How do you care about me?" Victoire asked calmly. She decided then that if Teddy didn't feel the same way, she was going to forget him. She saw the confusion on his face, he lowered his eyes and then looking straight at her he said:

"You're my little sister. How else would I care about you?"

Victoire felt tears at the back of her eyes, but she refused to let them down. She was not going to cry anymore for Ted Lupin.

"Well, thanks." she said, turning her head away from him. "But I don't need a big brother."

"Come on, Vicky. I-"

"I think I have started to feel something…" she said slowly. "For Nott."

"Vic, he's not good for-"

"I'll decide that for myself." she said, turning towards the castle. Her throat had started to close, and her eyes we watering quickly. "Goodbye, Teddy."

She broke at a run right after that. By the time she had arrived at the castle and turned around, her left side was on fire, complaining from her injury, and Teddy's form was not there anymore. He had Apparated out of there.


	5. Kisses

**A/N: Hello! I want to thank lizziecanamar, .restless, and LillyMay77, for taking the time to review this story. Yes, I will continue this story to the very end, but I am at my final year in college so it can sometimes take me a little while to finish a chapter, so please bear with me. Please, review and tell me what you think, I promise the plot will get a little more interesting, and there'll be some smut in a not so distant future! Enjoy!**

5\. Kisses

Victoire was again in her stalking mood. She saw Nott enter the Library alone, the blonde plaything had been ignored for the past week, and she was actually feeling confident that the next time she approached him, he was going to be willing to give her a chance. After two weeks of constant deliberation, Victoire had decided that she fancied Nott and he was her best shot at forgetting Teddy. But the thing was she was not sure how to approach him, or how far was she going to take this relationship. He was handsome and she liked being with him, but if Victoire was being honest with herself, she was not in love with him.

"Are you going to lurk in the shadows all afternoon?" he asked out loud, not turning his head towards her.

She yelped and ducked behind the bookshelf she was hiding in. She felt her heart hammering and her face blushing. He had the innate ability to tell if someone was watching him. _Maybe from his Slytherin personality,_ she thought.

"Are you hiding from me?" Victoire heard his voice right behind her and when she turned her head, his face was millimeters away from hers.

"I'm not hiding." she whispered.

"You literally ducked when I called you out." he said, chuckling. "That's the definition of hiding."

"I didn't want to talk to you right now." she said, blushing, her eyes not leaving his.

"Why not? Are you afraid of me?" his eyes lowered slightly, she could feel them in her lips. "You know I won't attack you."

"I thought you didn't like when I talked to you." she said, her own eyes wandered down to his lips and she realised she wanted to kiss him.

"I don't talk much. I do other things." he said licking his lips. Victoire gasped slightly and then Nott laughed out loud, walking away and sitting down at his usual place. She sat down beside him, a little exasperated at her own reaction.

"I want to ask you something, though." she said, staring at her own hands.

"What is it?" he said, flipping absentmindedly through the book.

"Why did you asked about me?" she frowned at him, and then turned her eyes away, not wanting to see his face. "Dom said you asked about me, as if you were worried…"

"You took a nasty fall, I was making sure you were not dead." he said, scribbling something in his parchment.

"Why?" she asked, her head snapping towards him. "You said we were not friends."

"Contrary to what you might think, I like to consider myself a good person, and I don't like it when people around me die." he said.

"But you're a Slytherin."

"I am." he turned his attention to her now, smiling. "But I am not evil, darling."

Victoire smiled openly. She felt herself blush and immediately realised she was liking this person more and more. If he was as pleasant as she thought he was, she definitely wanted a relationship with him.

"Why are you smiling like that?" he asked an eyebrow raised.

"Am I not allowed to?"

"You're making things hard for me."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, I know that you fancy me, and I also know you want a boyfriend, and I can't be like that for you."

"What?" she asked, blushing even more.

"Don't try to deny it. That amount of staring can only be justified if you fancy me." he said.

"That means you've been staring too." she said triumphantly. "And here I was thinking you wouldn't touch me with a ten-foot-pole."

"I did said that. But I was trying to make you go away, so…" he said shrugging and turning back to his parchment.

"Then what happened to the blonde plaything? You got rid of her because of me, right?"

"Who? Hannah? Don't think you're that important, Weasley. As I told you before, we were just fucking, and she, just like you, started to want a more serious relationship." he said, closing the book as if exasperated with the explanation he was giving. "She moved on, and now she's dating some other bloke."

"Are you sad?" Victoire asked shyly. Nott laughed, it was cynic and dry, like a bark.

"Sad?" he turned to look at her. "I didn't even like her that much to tell you the truth. She was convenient, that's all. And she was sticking around too much for my liking lately."

"I know." Victoire said, bitterly.

"Jealous, love?" he said, leaning towards Victoire and licking his lips suggestively. He laughed out loud again, seeing Victoire's confused expression. "You're too easy to affect. And you're quite transparent too."

"Not many people are as insightful as you." she mumbled, remembering Teddy. And then she scowled for remembering.

"I'm sorry but you're so transparent that if someone didn't notice, then he must be really thick."

"He _is_ thick and a prat."

"Oh, I see. I'm the rebound." Nott said, setting his parchment away and suddenly being enormously interested in what Victoire was saying.

"I wouldn't say that." she lied. "I just happened to like you _and_ the bloke I was in love with didn't…"

"You got your little heart broken?" he asked mockingly.

"It wasn't like that. Shut up." she said, blushing and feeling embarrassed.

"Did the little veela found someone who would reject her? Did he flat out said no? Or did he said you should remain as friends?"

"Shut up, Nott! He… he didn't know…" Victoire felt the sting in her chest. Hearing Nott mocking her about Teddy was incredibly painful. Maybe she had made a mistake in trusting him.

"You didn't say anything, did you?" Nott stated in a softer voice. "Are you always that shy?"

"it's not that I'm shy. He said he regarded me as a little sister even before I could tell him anything." she said pathetically.

"Fuck." Nott murmured, ruffling his hair. "You really are making things hard when you look like that."

"Do you want to kiss me?" she blurted out.

He sighed, and then looking straight to her face, he leaned closer. His face was getting closer and closer, when she felt his breath upon her face she closed her eyes. He stopped a heartbeat away, her lips could almost feel his. And then he chuckled.

"Is this your first kiss?"

"Does it matter?" Victoire spat, and then she leaned forward, making slight contact. He backed away right away.

"Not to me." he said, looking at her. She still had her eyes closed. "But it will matter to you."

"Why does everybody think they know what I think? I…" Victoire said opening her eyes, a little irritated. "I want to kiss you, that's all."

"If that's all you want…" he said, leaning closer again.

Victoire felt Nott's lips over hers. His lips caressed hers, gently at first, just scraping the surface and brushing them in a tender manner. She melted into it, her very first real kiss. She felt a fire stirring within her, her lower belly tingling and her eyes closed tight, her breath hitched. He kept grazing her lips, his skin soft, and then he sucked her lower lip, opening her mouth and introducing his tongue. His tongue explored her mouth and he licked the inside of her upper lip. She moaned slightly. How could a kiss make her feel like that?

He separated from her, and chuckling at her obvious delight, he stood up from the table. He started gathering his things, closing his books and rolling his parchments.

"Where are you going?" she asked pouting.

"Common room." he said, crossing his bag over his shoulder. "I can't study here."

She was left at the library, feeling weirdly ominous. She was at a loss about what had happened. He kissed her. Edward Nott had just kissed her. And she knew, that implicitly, she had agreed to his terms. They were not dating, and they never would, she was the replacement to his physical relationship, and he was hers to her crave for being loved.

Victoire was still reviving the memory of her first kiss when she arrived at her dorm about three hours later. She went to bed, trying to hide her smiling face, she knew that Haley would immediately asked if she saw her, and she was sure neither Haley nor her sister would understand what was happening with Nott.

She immediately sank into a restless slumber. She dreamt about Teddy running away from her. She could see his back and no matter how much she tried to catch up to him, he just kept getting farther away. She called out his name, but it got stuck in her throat. And just as she screamed louder, she woke up at the tapping sound outside her window.

"What is it?" Haley asked from her bed across from her, yawning and rubbing her eyes.

"A bloody owl." Victoire said. "It's four in the morning for Merlin's sake!"

She moved to open the window, the owl fluttered into the room and deposited a letter on her bed. The owl flew out the window immediately, and as Victoire grabbed the letter and turned to Haley to reassure her everything was fine, Haley had fallen asleep once more.

Victoire recognized the handwriting on the envelope, she hesitated with it in her hands. It was the fourth letter he had sent. The last three still remained unopened on her desk. After their last meeting, she had been too eager and too willing to forget about him, but even her subconscious betrayed her. She opened it, deciding she could not postpone him any longer.

 _Dearest Victoire,_ (she relished the fact that the letter was only addressed to her this time.)

 _I'm starting to get anxious. Are you ok? Why aren't you answering my letters? I'm worried sick about you, you've never waited this long before answering. I'm guessing it has something to do with the last time we saw each other. And even though I don't fully understand what happened, by now I have the feeling I have to apologise for something. So please forgive me._

The letter continued after some space had been left on the parchment. The handwriting seemed more chaotic than before, and some ink spots were visible.

 _I need to know something though, you seemed confused as I was, I don't know what the bloody hell he means to you, so I'll ask you. Do you love him? Are you serious about him? Because if you are, then I know I'm a fool._

 _Please answer this letter, right after you've received it. I need to know I've not screw everything up._

 _With infinite love,_

 _Teddy._

She stared down at that last part. He seemed to have been rambling and she could not comprehend what he meant with him being confused. She knew that him not loving her back the way she did was not his fault, one couldn't decide whom to fall in love with. And yet, she was still angry at him. She chucked the letter under her pillow and rested her head over it. She could decide what to tell him in the morning with her mind fully awake.

But as she ate her breakfast with Dominique happily chatting away about the 50 points she had been awarded by Professor Longbottom, the morning post came flying in. A letter was dropped over the milk jug and her pumpkin juice, sending the liquid all over the place. Victoire yelped and looked at her ruined shirt with exasperation.

"At least they could aim for the dry food." she sighed, getting the letter from the liquid mess.

"You'll have to go back and change." Dominique said, suppressing a giggle.

"Don't wait for me, go to class." she said standing up and heading for the dorms.

She changed quickly, getting her robes back on and then she sat on her bed to look at the letter she had received. Two letters in and row from Teddy.

 _Victoire,_

 _Please forget whatever I sent you last night. I don't remember exactly what it was, but I bet I didn't make any sense. It's a long story, one which you don't need to know._

 _Please answer me back, I want to at least know we're still friends. I don't know what made you so angry, but be assure that I am sorry._

 _I'll wait for your reply,_

 _Teddy._

This short letter was different from the one before. The love with which he had signed was nowhere to be found in this one. He treated her with distance and was asking to resume their friendship as if nothing had happened. _I have to forget him_ , Victoire thought. He was not meant for her and she was pained by it. She decided it was time to move on.

 _Teddy,_

 _I'm fine. I'm sorry it took me a long time to reply, I'm not angry. I'll see you at the Burrow for Christmas._

 _Vic._

It was a short reply, but she was not ready to tell him the reason why she was not talking to him. Maybe in some years when the both of them have somebody else, she could tell him that she used to be in love with him and they could laugh it out and be done with it. But not today.

She went to the owlery and sent the letter, and as she was heading down, she met with the person that she hoped will make her forget.

"You're alone." she said, her heart hammering.

"So?" he asked, a bored expression in his eyes. "I need to send a letter."

"Yes, but you usually hang around your Slytherin friends." she said, walking back up the owlery, following him.

"They are around." he said, absentmindedly.

"Who are you writing to?" Victoire asked casually, trying to move forward the conversation.

"Home." he said, seeing the owl flutter away. "Are you nosy today or what?"

"I'm just…" she said, embarrassed.

"Well, see you." he said, and went for the stairs. But just as he was getting way, Victoire stretched her hand and held the tip of his robes with her fingers. He was surprised at her sudden movement, and looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Stay a little." she whispered, blushing furiously. "Would you kiss me again?"

Nott stayed there for some seconds, looking straight to her red face, and thinking wildly about what she was asking. He looked around to make sure that they were alone, and then he sighed, and grabbed Victoire's arm.

"Come here." he dragged her to the wall and pressed her delicately towards it. She was grinning furiously, her face lightened up and her blush seemed to be lifted a bit. Nott laughed at her face and her eagerness.

"What's so funny?" she said in almost a whisper.

"Nothing." he leaned closer to her, pressing her shoulders to the cold wall. She pulled her hands to his shoulders, and still grinning, she felt his lips crush hers. It was a tender kiss at first, he just let his lips casually press hers, but after some moments, she eagerly moved hers, trying to deepen it. He complied, and they started a dance with their mouths, his hands sliding down to her hips and bringing them closer to his body. She pulled at his robes, trying to close even more the space between them. It was not uncommon that this kind of kiss would elect a physical reaction from a bloke like Nott, and yet when Victoire felt the bulge pressing her lower belly, she looked down their bodies and saw with amazement what she had provoked.

"I thought…" she whispered, still amazed. Nott only sighed in a hot manner, not letting her go, and resting his forehead on her shoulder.

"Fuck, Weasley. Don't look so innocent." he said, his breath a little disheveled. "At least try to act cool about it."

"I'm sorry, I had never caused one, and it feels kind of...empowering, really." she said, with a triumphant voice. She lifted her head to see him. He still had his eyes close and his face was so near hers, his cheeks a bit red, as if his hard on and her innocence had made him blush. She kissed him on the cheek, finding him kind of adorable at that moment. She had always had a knack for adorableness, Teddy was exhibit number one with his blue hair and boyish grin. He opened his eyes and turned his head so their mouths were aligned.

"You don't know what you're saying." he said, his breath hitting her lips. "Normally I would have made you take care of it. You caused it, you need to make it go away."

"But?" she asked, kissing him slightly, their lips caressing again.

"But I know you'll freak out." he kissed her again, his tongue getting inside her mouth. She moaned lightly at his intrusion and she clenched his robes again, pulling close. Victoire was discovering this new sensations inside of her, she felt a slight tingling in her lower belly, and her palms were cold and sweaty. She liked being kissed, but as she was kissing Nott, and he was touching her waist and lowering his hands towards her bum, she realised her thoughts kept wandering to Teddy. _Would it feel this good to kiss him?_ , she thought. _What would he taste like?_

"I'm going to touch you." Nott breathed out, sending shivers through Victoire's spine. She didn't even had time to process what he was saying, because in that moment, his lips grabbed hers again and his hands fully traveled to her ass, squeezing her cheeks and moaning into her lips. She yelped, and pushing him away, she looked at his face. His eyes were dark and lustful and he had this lopsided grin that made him look incredibly sexy.

"Don't do that!" she said, her face coloring instantly. Nott chuckled and lifting his hands from her backside, he moved away from her.

"I'm sorry." he chuckled again. "I couldn't help it."

"You are not suppose to… I mean, I'm glad you like me that way, but… What I'm trying to say is…" Victoire mumbled helplessly, trying to pull out words from where there were none. She felt heat rushing towards her face again, when she lifted her eyes to see Nott smirking.

"What you want to say is that you're still in love with that other guy. And you don't want to be touched by anyone that's not him."

"I…" Victoire gulped. "I want to forget about him."

Nott seemed surprised by it. He smiled slowly, thinking about her words, and then he came closer to her, a step away, just enough to not make her uncomfortable again. He brushed her blonde hair out of the way and tucked it behind her ear.

"I truly are the rebound guy." he said, still smiling down at Victoire. "If you want me, I could make you forget."

"You want to shag me." Victoire stated, feeling panicky. "But I… I want to do it only if I'm in love."

"Having sex with me is the only thing you don't want?"

"I am not in love with you, I can't do it."

"I am not in love with you either." Nott said, resting his hand on the wall behind Victoire. "But if sex is the only taboo, we can do stuff around it."

"What do you mean?" Victoire blushed again.

"I mean, we could kiss in some other places. Or we could touch each other and do other things. We don't need to have sex if you don't want to." he whispered close to her ear.

"I… don't… know." Victoire whispered back.

"Think about it, love." he said, pecking her on the lips. "Come and find me when you have an answer. I bet you know where I'll be."

Victoire watched him turn around and walk down the stairs from the owlery. She had an important decision to make, and although her first impulse was to refuse him, she also was a little curious to know what will it feel like to be touched and kissed by Edward Nott.


	6. Heart

**Hello! I'm sorry for this short chapter, but I promise things are moving along and I'll get you some kind of smutty chapter next time! Please review, and if you have, thank you so much! :)**

6\. Heart

Teddy Lupin Apparated at his godfather's house with his mind clouded and his heart sinking. It was not unusual for Harry to ask him to dinner, but he had the quenching feeling it had something to do with his last Auror test. Ron had spoken to him several days ago about his poor results, asking him to take everything seriously, or else, even though he had talent and was by far the most advanced student, he was going to be forced to put him on probation. It had proven to be one of the toughests weeks of his life, and he was sure it was not over yet.

He knocked the front door and a grinning Lily opened it. She squealed with delight and grabbed his hand, dragging him inside and announcing to the whole house that Teddy had arrived. Ginny popped her head out of the kitchen and laughing at Lily's obvious joy, she went into the living room to greet him.

"Teddy, it's been awhile since we saw you." Ginny said, pecking him on the cheek. He sat down at the couch.

"Yes, your husband has been keeping us busy with all that training. I just saw my granny once last week." Teddy said, hugging Lily back and placing her on his lap.

"Oh, he's always too hard on new recruits. I'll tell him to go a little easy on you guys." she laughed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Teddy, look!" Lily said, showing him a pop up book about Quidditch with flying players and a tiny Snitch circling it. "Daddy got it for me, he says I ought to start early in my education."

"That's nice, Lils." Teddy said, turning the page and looking at four goal posts that popped up the book. "Where is Harry, anyway?"

"Right here." Harry said, stepping out of the staircase. He walked towards them and greeted Teddy. "I wanted to talk to you. Would you mind if we do it before dinner?"

"No, it's fine." Teddy said, setting Lily to her feet and standing up.

"But you have to practice Quidditch with me after dinner, Teddy!" she said to him, tugging his robes.

"Sure, Lily. We'll play with James and Albus." he reassured her, ruffling her hair and following Harry to his office.

They sat down in a couch near the fireplace, and then he conjured up some butterbeer. He handed one to Teddy and he gulped it down, feeling the warm sensation filling his chest. It was a chilly night at the beginning of December, and the fire made the whole room a little more cozy.

"Ron came to talk to me last night." Harry began. Teddy knew it was because of his poor results. "He told me you were falling a little behind with your tests."

"I got an A in the theoretical test and a P in the practice one." Teddy said, looking at his godfather. "But I have gotten nothing but O's since the beginning."

"Yes, that's why it felt weird to Ron. He said you were not paying attention at the test and that you seemed kind of down." Harry said, worry in his eyes.

"It's nothing." Teddy said, trying to dismiss the subject. "I'll do better next time."

"I don't have a doubt about it. But, you know, if something's bothering you… You can talk to me…" Harry said, trying his best to look reliable.

"Did Ginny talked you into this?" Teddy asked, an eyebrow raised.

"No, no." said Harry, shaking his head. "I am worried about you."

"You don't have to be, it'll go away." he said, drinking from his butterbeer again.

"What will?"

"Let's not talk about it." Teddy said. If he said it out loud it may never go away.

"Come on, Teddy. You can tell me anything." Harry insisted.

Teddy didn't want to tell him. He was pretty sure he was not going to be in favour of it, and most likely, he was going to get angry. It was his niece after all. And more than anything, he knew that he would tell him that it didn't matter, that he should just focus on his Auror training and leave those petty things for later. But he still had a brick lodged in his chest, and it refused to go away even after he had received that extremely short letter from Victoire.

"Ehm…" Teddy began, not believing he was about to tell Harry everything that had been going on inside his head. "What does it mean when…"

"Yes?" Harry asked, his interest peaking. "Go on, Ted."

"What does it mean when a girl sends you a really short answer to five letters you've sent her?" Teddy asked, his face feeling suddenly too hot.

"Oh." Harry said, his eyes big and round in realisation. "It's a girl thing."

"What did you expect?" Teddy asked.

"I don't know. Something with your grandmum or maybe an issue with the rest of the recruits." Harry said, sighing from relief.

"No, everything is fine." Teddy sighed too. He drank again from his butterbeer and feeling that he needed to finish now that he had begun, he continued. "I guess she got angry because of something I said, but I don't really know what happened. We were fine, and then she asked me some weird questions, and then I…"

"What weird questions? Why don't you tell me from the beginning?"

"Well, it's not something I can discuss with you." Teddy said, dread coming to his throat and making him anxious.

"Ah." Harry said, looking embarrassed. "I understand that what you do is up to you. You're an adult now, but, you know, be careful, take precautions and-"

"No!" Teddy said quickly, realising with horror to where this conversation was headed. "It's not about _that_! I just meant… you wouldn't approve of it, because she is…"

"Older?" Harry asked cluelessly.

"No." Teddy made a painful expression. It was getting weirder by the second, he might as well tell Harry, before he thought something worse of him. "It's Victoire."

"Oh!" Harry said, his ears turning pink and scratching his head. "I didn't know you two were together."

"We are not." Teddy said, covering his face. "That's the thing, she… doesn't… Ah! I don't know what to think anymore!"

"Do you fancy her?" Harry asked.

"I…" Teddy uncovered his face and looked at his godfather. "Yes."

"Then what's the problem?"

"It's a long story" Teddy knew his hair was pink by then. He had discovered lately that whenever he thought about Victoire, his hair turned bubblegum pink. He guessed it was the color of love, and he hated it.

"You can tell me, we have time." Harry said, reassuringly.

"I've always treated Victoire as my little sister, you know, like the way I treat Lily or Rose. But something happened in the summer- please, don't tell Bill, but…" Teddy stopped. Of course he was going to tell Bill, he was his brother-in-law.

"I won't say a thing, don't worry." Harry said, to Teddy's amazement.

"Ehm…" it was all or nothing for Teddy, so he might as well tell him. He was sure after getting it off of his chest he was going to feel better. "I took her clubbing, and she drank… a lot. And then when I tried to take her home, she was resisting and she told me she loved me and kissed me."

"You're lucky I'm not on the clock, or I'd have to arrest you for getting a minor drunk." Harry said, jokingly.

"I was trying to prevent her getting drunk!" Teddy defended himself.

"It's fine, Ted. It wouldn't be the first time a minor consumes alcohol." Harry laughed. "And then what happened?"

"That's the thing, she didn't remember, and when the subject came up days later, she said it had been an accident." Teddy pursed his lips, remembering. "But the thing is… after that kiss I started seeing her in a different way. She has always been my sister, but after that I was not so sure anymore."

"Did you tell her?" Harry asked.

"No!" Teddy said quickly. "I mean, I didn't have the chance to do anything. I went to Auror training right after that and then she went back to Hogwarts. And I was still a little confused, I was trying to see her as a sister, and yet as the time went by, I couldn't stop thinking about her. And then I went to see her at Hogsmeade."

"Go on…" Harry encouraged in the tiny pause Teddy made.

"That's when I knew for sure, Harry." Teddy said, blushing even more. "When I saw her again after all those weeks apart, I felt it. I am… in love… with her."

"Did you tell her then?"

"No…" Teddy covered his face again, feeling a stab to his chest. "I realised I was in love with her just as she was looking at another bloke."

"Oh…"

"I asked her about him, and at first she said she didn't like him, but she looked as if she was lying. And when I kept asking about it, she asked me why did I care about it, and I panicked, I said I cared about her as a sister, so I was protecting her. And she just looked at me in a funny way and said that… she had started to develop feelings towards him." Teddy felt the pain in his chest increase, and he clutched it hoping it would go away.

"Oh, Ted." Harry said, feeling his pain.

"She didn't wrote me back for sometime after that, I don't even know if she read any of my letters." Teddy said pathetically. "And then last weekend, the guys from the flat took me out. I drank a little too much, and I sent her a letter. I can't remember for the life of me what did the letter said, I may have confessed everything, for all I know. So in the morning I wrote to her again, telling her to forget about the letter and just write me back. And she did."

"The short letter?"

"Yes. She just said she was not angry and that she will see me at Christmas. Christmas is almost a month away, Harry. She just dismissed me, and I…" Teddy had to stop talking. His chest pain was becoming unbearable, and it started to go up to his throat.

"I'm sorry, Teddy." Harry said, clapping his shoulder. "To tell you the truth, I don't think things are as bad as you think. I'm sure if you tell her, she'll think different about it, and for this other bloke, I'm sure he's no match for you."

"Thanks, Harry." Teddy said, his pain subsiding a little. "But you know, I think it's my fault. There's something else. I kind of talked her into trying something with this other guy."

"What?" Harry asked in surprise.

"It was before everything started. I teased her too much, and told her no one would like her that way or something like that. I don't know, it was stupid. And for some reason or another, we ended up joking about her going out with this bloke. But she was not joking at all, and now she really has feelings for him. I didn't know back then that I liked her as more than a friend."

"Look, Ted." Harry said, seriousness lighting up his face. "If there was something I learned from watching Ron and Hermione over the years, is that things are only complicated if you let them be. If you deny your feelings or if you don't say them properly, then you would get nowhere. They had this complicated friendship and they were waiting for the other to make the move, and in the end, the only thing that made them unhappy was not saying it properly. If you love someone you should tell them."

"I'm no Gryffindor like you." Teddy said, feeling dejected. "I don't think I dare."

"It has nothing to do with being a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff. It has to do with being true to what you feel and loving without reserves. You are Ted Lupin, son of Remus and Tonks, and I know for a fact that those two loved without reserves, they dared, and so can you." Harry concluded proudly.

Teddy felt his chest deflate a little. He knew he was being a coward, but confronting the situation was out of his mind. Victoire was too much of a sister, and if he blew it by telling her exactly how he felt, she was not going to talk to him anymore. Their friendship was going to be over, and he couldn't bear to lose her like that.

"Thanks, Harry." he mumbled and stood up from the couch. Harry followed him and they both went to dinner. Teddy did his best to look cheerful and he was glad James, Albus and Lily were mostly leading the conversation at the table. His thoughts kept wandering to the conversation he had with Harry, and those words he said: he was in love with Victoire. It was the first time he said it out loud. And even though it had felt good to say it, he knew those words were not going to reach the right person, and he didn't even want it to.

After dinner they all played a short Quidditch match in the backyard, and he let his mind forget about the whole thing. He was better without all the Victoire trouble clouding his mind, so when the Potters finally let him go, he Apparated back to his flat with the intention of not thinking about it until at least Auror training finished for the year. Christmas was going to be a sordid affair.


	7. Slow

**A/N: Hello! I know I have not updated in a really long time, but I have several understandable reasons for it: I just got a job, and I'm at my final year of college and my boyfriend who was in another country for the last 6 months just came back, and I'm super happy but I'm also super busy :(**

 **I'm sorry I have not dedicated that much time to this story, but I promise you all that I will finish it, it would be slow so don't get frustrated, I promise an ending is coming and although we are not even in the middle of the story yet, the ending will come!**

 **Thank you so much if you reviewed this story, and if not please go ahead and do it, all feedback is welcome and it actually helps my motivation to finish it. Enjoy! :)**

7\. Slow

Dominique Weasley stretched lazily on the loveseat, she was reading a magazine and enjoying the ethereal fire warming her body. Victoire shoved her a little too roughly back to her side of the loveseat, and grumbled something about not invading her personal space.

"You're feisty today." Dominique said, rolling her eyes. "What happened to your good moods?"

"They vanished." Victoire stated, rising her book to her eyes.

"What's going on with you?" Dominique insisted.

"One can have secrets, little sis. You should know about that." Victoire buried her nose even deeper in her Transfiguration book.

"Are you still mad about that?" Dominique tried to grab her sister's book, but Victoire just clutched it tighter. "I told you I could tell you. But there is nothing going on now."

"What are you talking about?" Victoire lowered her book then, relief washing over her.

"What I didn't tell you…" Dominique hesitated.

"Oh!" Victoire's eyes rounded. "About you being all evasive and mysterious?"

"I was a bit afraid at first, but now it's fine. I guess I was worried for nothing." Dominique shrugged.

"Now you _have_ to tell me what's going on." Victoire said, her book resting back on her lap.

"Well, it's about… a bloke." Dominique hesitated.

"Yes, go on…" Victoire urged.

"Nothing happened, you know. He just confessed his love to me." Dominique said casually.

"Who? And why didn't you tell me?" Victoire squealed, scooching closer to her sister.

"I didn't tell you because I knew you were going to make a big deal about it."

"Who is it then?" Victoire asked, lowering her voice not to embarrass her sister.

"I can't tell you that. I promised I was going to keep the secret." Dominique crossed her arms.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake." Victoire rolled her eyes. "Are you going out in secret or something?"

"We are not exactly going out…"

"Dom, if you like this boy, you should say it, you don't have to be embarrassed."

"I am not!" Dominique's face turned scarlet. "And I don't like him like that!"

"I don't understand then what's the matter." Victoire shrugged and turned to her Transfiguration book again.

"Okay, I'll tell you," Dominique surrendered, and then whispering she said: "but you have to promise me you won't tell a soul."

"I cross my heart." Victoire said, literally crossing over her chest.

"It's… Charlie." Dominique hesitated.

"Charlie?" Victoire asked, whispering like Dominique. "Charlie Johnson? Our little Charlie? Charlie-Charlie?"

"Yes, Charlie-Charlie." Dominique said, exasperated. "He said he loves me, and then he tried to kiss me. But I got scared, it was my first kiss what he was trying to steal. And I kind of avoided him after that."

"So you just ran away?"

"Not exactly. After some days, I talked to him. And the truth is, I started to like him more after that, and I decided that I had to give him a chance, but…" Dominique lowered her eyes. "I guess he talked to Louis or something, because he said we should remain friends."

"And what did you say?"

"Well, nothing." Dominique smiled shyly at her sister. "I guess I also prefer it that way, it was going to be bothersome."

"But do you like him?" Victoire insisted. "Because if you like him, even a little, you should try it. Forget the rest, you know."

"He already said it was better as friends, so it's fine, Vic." Dominique shrugged and turned her gaze to the fire again.

"But...Dom, I'm sure that if you just talk to him… You never know how things might turn out." Victoire grabbed her sister's arm.

"Why are you suddenly so eager for me to have a boyfriend?" Dominique asked suspiciously.

"I am not." Victoire answered, retreating a little. "I just want you to be happy."

"And what about you?" Dominique said, rounding up on her. "You've been Teddy obsessed since you were 6. When will you be happy?"

"That's a good question." Victoire tried to look casual and unperturbed, but the truth was she was feeling dejected about it.

"You could date anyone, Vic. And Teddy-" Dominique stopped short, she was not comfortable with stating the obvious to her sister. "Well…"

"I know. He doesn't love me back." Victoire tried again her unperturbed face, and just to be sure she smiled a little. "Will you be ok with me dating someone?"

"What are you saying? I want you to be happy and if that takes Teddy out of your mind, then do it." Dominique squeezed her sister's hand.

"What if he's…?" Victoire didn't dare say it. She was thinking about Nott and dating a Slytherin was not only the worst crime a Weasley could commit, but it also was proof that she was thinking about him in a sexual way. Yes, she wanted him, but she had avoided him for the past couple weeks because she was deeply in love with Teddy. "...Older?"

"How much older?"

"Like a seventh year…?"

"Do you have someone in mind already?" Dominique asked enthusiastically.

"Not really… I was just asking." Victoire shrugged and returned to her book.

"Oh, I see." Dominique gazed at the fireplace again. "I don't mind at all if he's older or younger. I just want to see you smile again."

"It's not like I'm depressed or anything, Dom. I'm just a little heartbroken."

"I know." Dominique patted her shoulder. "I'm just worried."

"I have a deeper concern for your situation." Victoire said. "What are you going to go about Charlie?"

"Nothing!" Dominique stood up from the loveseat, a little embarrassed. "This conversation is over."

Victoire laughed at her sister's face. She was clearly falling in love with him, and she wanted to do something for her. Maybe she could turn it into her new project, making Charlie and Dominique become a thing. And then she winced, remembering her first project: making Nott fall in love with her. Could she actually do it? He had said they could do stuff that was not sex, they could take it slow. And what if by the end of it all, Nott actually fell in love with her? Was she willing to take off her clothes for something like that? She was too much a good girl to even think about it, or so she thought. The truth was she wanted to take her clothes off, maybe because after 12 years of unrequited love and pent up sexual frustration, she was finally on the verge of explosion. Or maybe just because she found Nott sexy as hell. Or it could also be the fact that she was sure being with Nott was the only way of getting rid of Teddy once and for all.

"I'll go have some dinner." Dominique said, reverting Victoire to the real world. "You coming?"

"No." Victoire said standing up. "Later. I've got to do something at the library."

Victoire had made up her mind, after two weeks of painfully avoiding Nott, she was ready to face him with utter conviction. She was going to do it, she wanted to start something with him, and even though she was sure nothing good was going to come off it (he was definitely not going to fall in love with her), she was actually eager to try.

She broke at a run after she had separated from her sister. She ran, ignoring the ogling eyes from the rest of the students who were making their way towards the Great Hall. She knew Nott's schedule by heart then, and she even knew his habits, so she went to look for him at the library. But as she rounded the corner towards their little space, he was not there. She sighed in an exasperated manner, the tickling in her stomach was becoming stronger by the second and her lips were craving his.

She tried looking for him at the Great Hall from the entrance door. But the Slytherin table was full of third years, and not even his friends were having dinner. _He must be in his common room_ , she thought. Going down to the dungeons was out of the question, a Gryffindor in that part of the castle was not usual and people were going to start asking questions. But she needed to do something about all of this, her eagerness and her squirming were getting worse. She needed him right then and there. So she made her way to the dungeons.

Every time someone went by her, she ducked behind a corner. So far, nobody had asked her anything as they were more interested in getting to the Great Hall. But as she approached the Slytherin common room, more people were coming through and she felt suddenly nauseous. She hid behind an armor suit and covered her face when somebody went by it. She was in the process of doing this a third time, when she heard Nott's voice.

Her whole body jumped at the sound and she uncovered herself, stepping fully into the hallway. Nott was evidently not alone, a flock of his Slytherin friends were tailing along, including the blonde plaything that had made her way to Nott's side again. Victoire stood there, every eye poised on her and a smirking Nott checking her out.

"Er-" she stammered. She felt her face turn a deep shade of red and she immediately fumbled with the hem of her robes.

"You guys go ahead." Nott said. "I'll be right there. I need to clear something up with Weasley."

He untangled his arm from the blonde's and slowly made his way towards her. He stood centimeters away from her as he waited for all his friends to walk away. And once the hallway was empty, he set his hands on her shoulders.

"If you wanted to make everything public, you just achieved it, Weasley." Nott said in a low voice getting near her face.

"I-I…" Victoire lifted her face to see him, and just as her eyes swept through his face, he pulled her to him and embraced her. "I thought you were alone."

"Are you going to hug me back?" he asked. Victoire had not noticed until then that her arms were limp beside her. She was still a bit shocked. She slithered her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. This was not usual behavior for Nott, he usually just intimidated her and made it clear he was after her body. And there he was asking her to hug him as if he had missed her.

But she had no time to process this piece of information. Just as she was getting comfortable in Nott's arms, they heard the door to the common room opening and Nott pushed her away and took her hand and led her inside the maze of the dungeons. They walked past empty classrooms and cupboards, and just as Victoire was going to ask where they were going, Nott pushed her into a darkened room with tiny windows. The room was freezing cold and the fog their breaths made was slightly visible because of the moonlight that was pouring in. He pressed her onto the icy wall and Victoire felt a chill run down her spine.

Nott grabbed her waist with force and pressed his pelvis to hers, immediately kissing her neck. Victoire could feel the bulge between his legs and it was sort of flattering that he was already hard for her. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation, his lips moving and licking and nibbling her neck in what seemed a sweet dance of the heavens. She gripped his robes and pulled him even closer to her, trying with all her might to feel more of him and calm down the butterflies erupting inside her. He moaned into her skin and she felt her knees weakened.

"Let me touch you." he whispered. His words sent a shiver down her spine again and she felt her hands opening her own robes, like moving on their own accord. Nott's fingers caressed her front, delicately at first, just brushing the peaks of her breasts over her sweater, smoothing the shape of her stomach. "Do you like that?"

Victoire was unable to respond, her senses were overheating with his touches and kisses. Her lower belly was in knots and her mind was reeling. She was actually going to do this, and she was doing it right there. A sudden thought assaulted her, and she knew she had to say it then, or else she was not going to say it ever.

"Nott." she said in a quiet voice between his neck kisses.

"What is it, baby?" he whispered in a harsh tone, pressing his palm over her breast.

"We need to...ah…" Victoire's words were drowning in a pool of pleasure. "Let's talk about-ah!"

Nott had suddenly bitten down her collarbone at the same moment he pinched Victoire's peeking nipple over her sweater. She was wet and bothered and yet she tried to talk to him once again.

"Please, stop!" she said, desperately clinging to her last ounce of sanity before he took it all away. "Please…"

"What's wrong, baby?" Nott asked, grabbing her by the waist and looking for her face. He tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her softly on the lips.

"If we are going to do this, we need to establish some rules." she said, a bit more breathless than what she would have liked.

"Oh." Nott said, tucking again her stray hair behind her ear. "What do you have in mind?"

"We are not having sex." Victoire said firmly. _At least until I fall in love with you,_ she added in her head. Nott chuckled and snuggled closer to her.

"I thought that was a given." he said in a husky voice. "I'm glad you at least considered it."

"Shut up…" she murmured, finding pleasure in the vibration his voice made on her earlobe.

"What else?"

"If I'm with you…" Victoire was anxious about this part. It hadn't actually occurred to her until she saw the blonde plaything earlier. "You cannot see other girls."

"Weasley," Nott began, seriousness in his face as he separated a little to see her eyes. "I think we have to make something clear. I'm not your boyfriend."

"I know!" Victoire said quickly, resting her hands on his shoulders. "But you said so yourself: you shag a girl at a time!"

"Yes, I _shag_ a girl at a time." Nott stated. "But you and I are not going to have sex, apparently."

"So you'll go and have sex with every girl in the castle while you snog me on the side?" Victoire felt her voice grow stronger. She was irritated all of a sudden.

"Not every girl." Nott chuckled again. "I'll think about that one."

"No, you have to promise it. Or else I won't do it."

"Why are you so annoying?" Nott said again, kissing her once more on the mouth. "Fine. I promise for now. But I have a rule of my own."

"All right." Victoire complied.

"If you start falling in love with me, then we stop this." he said, his eyes serious on hers.

"I won't." she lied. "But it applies to you, too."

"What? Me falling in love with you? That's not going to happen, darling." he said smirking.

"Fine." she sighed. "Whatever you say."

"Let's stop talking now." he said, again in his husky voice. He leaned forward once again and planted a deep kiss on her mouth. She moaned at the incredibly sexy aura Nott was extruding from his lips. She opened her mouth without thinking, and his tongue quickly found its way into her mouth. She moaned once more, her hands trailing all the way to his head and pulling at his brown locks. He pushed her against the wall and she could feel his bulge once again, it was even bigger than before. His hands crept to her waist and his fingers inched into her sweater.

"I'm taking this off." he said, pushing the robes out of her shoulders. She nodded absentmindedly. "And this too." And there it went her sweater. She was standing in the freezing classroom with just her white shirt and skirt. As the cold invaded her body, Nott grabbed a hold of her, squeezing her into his masculine arms. He had discarded his robes too, but his sweater was still in place. His mouth quickly found her neck again, and his hand untucked her shirt from her skirt. Her leg climbed up to his side, and he helped her by grabbing it. His hand explored her bare leg, going up in a tender trail. They were kissing again, Victoire could only barely keep up with his mouth, and she was dizzing from the thrill. And as she was moaning into his mouth, she felt his fingers grazing her core over her knickers.

"You're already this wet, baby." he said in a raspy voice.

"Nott…" she sighed. "Don't…"

"What is it?" he said, taking her breast in his mouth over her shirt.

"Don't touch me there-!" but as the words were getting out of her mouth, one of his long fingers pushed her knickers out of the way and stroke her core fully. "Ah, Nott!"

Her leg flew down and she quickly straightened her skirt, pushing it down and feeling her face turning a million shades redder than ever before. She looked at him with a scared look in her eyes, and he just looked down at her with surprise. His sweater was already on the floor and his shirt was halfway undone and Victoire had no idea when it had happened.

"What's wrong?"

"I-I-I was not-not ready." Victoire stammered. "It's-it's embarrassing."

"What? Didn't you like it?" Nott crossed his arms above his chest, a smirk on his face.

"It's not a matter of liking it!" she said, in a loud voice. "It's just that I was not ready! And you touched- when I showered this morning, I- argh! Just don't touch me there yet!"

"Are you embarrassed because you didn't shave?" Nott asked laughing under his breath.

"Don't say it!" Victoire said, turning around and picking up her things. She hastily put on her sweater and her robes and walked towards the exit. "Let's take things slowly, all right?"

"Whatever you want, baby." Nott smirked again, picking up his sweater from the floor.

"And next time, choose a location with a fireplace!" she said, and exited the room. What did she just do? Was she in her right mind? She had snogged and almost strip naked Edward Nott! Her mind was all over the place, and her legs and arms kept shaking violently because of her nervousness and the cold.

When she finally made her way to dinner, Dominique was waiting for her. She barely listened to her sister's ramblings and she found herself in more than one occasion, glancing over to Nott. They had two weeks before the Christmas break, and as she ate mechanically her dinner, she started to get excited about it. Two weeks of pure ecstasy and lust over Edward Nott.


	8. Secret

8\. Secret

Victoire took Nott's face between her hands. She caressed his rough face with tenderness, her fingers tracing his jaw and his cheeks and his two-day beard. She looked into his brown deep eyes, and smiled shyly. Nott was looking at her too, but he was checking out her collarbone, and her smooth skin, he could see freckles disappear into her cleavage and he traced them with the tip of his finger. The Room of Requirement was cozy in the middle of the snowstorm, the window panes were rattling and the fire was soaring.

"Will I be able to take this off today?" he asked, tracing the delicate fabric of her bra with his finger. "Come on, darling, it's been more than a week."

"Patience is a virtue, Mr. Nott." she said, teasingly, her hands lowering over his broad shoulders.

"You're trying my patience as it is, Miss Weasley." he said, fingering the straps. and caressing her shoulders. He was on top of her, his t-shirt discarded on the floor, and his pyjama bottoms feeling a little too tight. He rolled onto his back on the huge bed, and sighed heavily.

"Am I annoying you again?" Victoire said, the shy smile still plastered on her face. She was sporting her bra and pyjama shorts, her skin bristling from the cold air that slipped through her skin in the absence of Nott.

"Well…" Nott set his arms under his head, lifting it. "You will need to account for your actions one of these days."

"What do you mean?" Victoire asked, rolling to her side to see the contour of his face.

"Do you actually expect me to sit still while you're taking off your shirt?" he said, eyeing her almost bare front. "It's killing me not to touch you the way I want to. And for that you'll have to give me something."

"Something like what?" Victoire asked cluelessly. Nott rolled to his side too, and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Give me your hand." he said.

Victoire look into his eyes, they were dark and serious, and she slowly stretched out her hand in fear. He had the ability to make her shudder with a single look. And she was not sure how she felt about that. He grabbed her hand, looking straight to her face. And then he lowered it, to his member. Victoire's eyes rounded in a comical way as she felt with her hand the hardness he was sporting. He bit down his lip and moaned softly. She didn't know what to do, she was embarrassed and yet she was curious. She had never touch it with her hand.

"That feels good." he said, moving her hand up and down his shaft. "Press it in your hand."

Victoire complied, her eyes never rounding down, and her hand moving on its own accord. She was helplessly submerged in him and she was feeling really nervous about it. Nott huffed, pressuring her hand more forcefully, closing his eyes and letting his head roll back. Victoire's mouth gaped open at the sex aura Nott was emanating, her heartbeat accelerating at an alarming rate.

"Wait." Nott suddenly said. "You won't panic, right, baby?"

"No…" Victoire almost whispered. She could feel the muscles in her stomach clenched up. And then Nott rolled to his back and with one swift movement, he lowered his pyjama bottoms and pants at the same time, his manhood springing free. Victoire laid there, frozen in place, watching with so much attention the huge member erecting high up in the air. Victoire gulped.

"Come here." he said in a sultry voice. He grabbed her arm and softly pulled her towards him. She mounted him, straddling the hard organ between her legs. Nott moaned gently as her covered pussy brushed against him. Victoire placed her hands on top of his bare chest and trembling, she lowered her face to his and kissed him chastely on the lips.

"Move your hips."

"What?" she asked, panic seeping through her mind albeit her best intentions.

"Move your hips, baby." he said, chuckling and grabbing her hips. "Back and forth."

At first Nott was doing all the work. He moved Victoire with his hands, pressing her to him with a slow rhythm, but as Victoire started relaxing and decided this was not so bad, she moved along with him. Her heartbeat had been in super fast mode for the last ten minutes, and her chest was starting to ache, and yet she continued with the movement, figuring she might as well try, or else Teddy was not going to go away.

"Yes, love." Nott sighed. "You got it."

Victoire kept rocking back and forth, Nott's penis becoming harder and harder, and then she realised his member was pressuring her in a sensitive spot. She could feel a slight tingling in the pit of her stomach, and her lips were grasping a moan that was threatening to come out. She closed her eyes, and her head rolled back, her pleasure increasing as she found the right spot to rub herself. She rubbed and rocked and eventually her jaw opened up and a loud guttural sound escaped her.

"Oh, fuck." Nott mumbled, and with expertise, he grabbed Victoire from the waist and rolled them around. Victoire, startled, looked up at him with clear eyes. Nott smirked and started kissing her neck and jaw. His hand was cupping her breast and she could feel a beating in her pussy. She was extremely wet, and she began squirming underneath him.

"Nott…" Victoire hummed in pleasure, as he kissed her collarbone and the upper side of her breasts.

"Yes, darling." he sighed between kisses. "Oh, I want you so fucking much."

Nott grabbed Victoire's hand again, and he led her towards his still pulsating member. Victoire grabbed it this time with no hesitation, moving up and down his shaft while exploring the soft and hot skin.

"So fucking much." Nott repeated, his breathed completely rigged and his hands squeezing Victoire's slim figure. She took his face with her free hand and led him towards her mouth, kissing him passionately. And then something funny happened inside Victoire's head: as she was introducing her tongue inside his mouth, she found herself thinking: _I love you, Ted._ That thought alone was enough to scare her, but in that moment, and while she was distracted with thoughts about Teddy, Nott found the elastic of her pyjama shorts and introduced a hand inside them, instantly rubbing her clit.

"Ah!" Victoire exclaimed. "Don't!"

"You're so fucking wet." Nott said in a mad whisper. "Don't worry, baby. I promise you'll like it."

"No...Oh!" Victoire had no time to complain again, as Nott found her entrance and he had a finger inside her. She was experiencing a mixture of pain and pleasure she was not sure she liked. Her brain kept telling her to stop, that it was wrong for him to touch her like that, but she was scared of rejecting him again. She was trying his patience, after all, and she knew he had meant what he said. So she let him touch her, her stomach quenching and her whole body trembling. He was gazing at her face, his member still in her hand, but he moved expertly and efficiently and after some minutes, Victoire was squirming again underneath him.

"Relax, Weasley." he pleaded. "It'll feel good."

"I-" she let her eyes close, and the sensation became stronger. "St-ah! Please, sto-!"

"Come on, baby." he said again, kissing the hollow space between her jaw and neck. "Relax and cum for me."

"Stop!" she finally said, her eyes watering and her head spinning. Nott looked at her with a surprised expression, his hand instantly getting out of her pyjama shorts. He slowly regained composure, and reached out for his clothes. He dressed quietly, without turning around to see her. And just as he put on his t-shirt, he turned, his expression serious.

"I thought you were into it." he said, sighing.

"I-I...was." she said, her voice cracking. She could feel a knot forming in her throat, and her eyes began to water profusely. "It's just that-I felt th-Maybe... we were going too fast."

"Maybe." Nott said simply. "I'm a bit disappointed, I thought…"

"What?"

"Nothing." he said, helplessly. "Let's meet again before we go home."

Victoire hesitated. She was crying then, her tears flowing freely from her eyes, and she reached for the duvet, covering herself. "I want to…"

"Then I'll see you."

"See you." she said, looking down to the bedding, and then he left. She stayed there for some minutes, thinking hard about what she had done, and how wrong it felt. She felt completely bare although all her private bits were covered, and somehow she knew Nott had no right in seeing her that way. She started crying without knowing the reason at first, but as, some hours later, sleep was finally claiming her, she realised she was crying because she missed Teddy.

She left the Room of Requirement barely before dawn, and by the time she had arrived at her dorm, someone was already out of bed. Haley still slept pleasantly and she crawled into bed to get another hour of sleep before breakfast. When she woke up, Haley was sitting on her bed, looking at her with curiosity and enthusiasm.

"What's going on?" Victoire asked groggily.

"Who's the bloke?" Haley squealed from delight and squeezed under the covers with Victoire.

"What?" Victoire nervously asked.

"Don't play dumb!" Haley said, laying in her side to look at her. "You were not in your bed for the whole night, you must've been with some bloke!"

"I was with Dom-"

"Don't try to say you were with Dom because I already asked her!"

"I was studying!" Victoire lied pathetically.

"All night? When we are going home tomorrow? I don't think so." Haley grabbed Victoire's arm and shook it violently. "Just spill the beans already!"

"Fine…" Victoire whispered. "I was with a bloke."

"Oh Merlin!" Haley said. "Who is he?"

"It's a secret." Victoire reddened, thinking about what they were doing.

"Even to your best friends?" Haley pouted.

"Yes." Victoire said firmly. "We are going out in secret."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't want my parents to know!" she lied quickly.

"But we wouldn't have said anything!"

"Oh, Haley. You know that my parents have eyes and ears everywhere, They're close friends with McGonagall and Uncle Neville and Hagrid. If someone saw us roaming around the halls like a couple, they would immediately find out!"

"I guess you're right." Haley said, pensively. "But still, you could've told me and I wouldn't have said anything!"

"You're a good friend, I'm sorry." Victoire said, hugging her. "But don't ask me anymore questions. I beg you. I don't want anyone to find out yet."

"Fine." Haley said, grumpiness in her voice. "Is he at least a good boyfriend?"

"I believe so…" Victoire said truthfully. "But I'm not sure yet. We have not been dating long."

"I'll wait for you to tell me." Haley said. "But please talk to me if he's being mean to you. We need to watch out for each other."

"All right, then."

And with that, both girls went out of bed and to have some breakfast. Victoire was nervous for seeing Nott again, the night before had not ended well, and she was not even sure why it had ended that way. She had clearly said she didn't want to, and yet Nott had been disappointed? Victoire's head was a mess, how could he be disappointed? She was the one receiving everything by that point, it was her lost if she wanted to stop, and even so, Nott had left as if he had expected something else from her.

She sat down directly in front of him, with the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables in between them. She wanted to see his face, and she wanted him to see her, just to see if he was as confused as she was. But he was his usual self, laughing out loud to whatever his friends had said, and having his arm intertwined with the blonde's. He had said before that she already had a boyfriend, but the boyfriend seemed to be gone, and the blonde was there again. _Was he sleeping with her?_ , Victoire asked herself.

"You should have told me, I could have kept the secret too!" Dominique whispered into her ear. Victoire turned to look at her, realising with horror that Haley spoke to her about it without her consent. Yes, the three of them were best friends, and spite that, she felt a little betrayed.

"I couldn't risk it. What if Louis found out?" Victoire said, a bitter tone impregnated in her voice.

"Like I would say something about it!" Dominique whispered more harshly than before. "Since when have I revealed one of your secrets? Just tell me who he is and we're even."

Haley leaned forward trying to be in on the secret too, but Victoire just shoved a huge spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth and chewed silently. She felt their stares burning holes on her face, and yet she remained silent.

"You're not going to tell?!" Dominique asked, exasperated. "I thought we didn't keep secrets from one another."

"I promised him I was not going to reveal it!" Victoire said, angrier by the second.

"Just leave it alone, Dom. I'm sure she has her reasons." Haley intervened.

"Her reasons are stupid then, if she can't confide in me." Dominique sulked. The conversation steered out of danger after that. Victoire finished eating her meal in peace, but just as she was standing up so she could get started with packing for the holidays, she felt eyes on her again. This time, Nott's.

He was at the Entrance door, looking at Victoire's direction, speaking to one of his Slytherin friends. Was he trying to look nonchalant, but his eyes kept wandering to her direction with more frequency than necessary. Victoire's face reddened instantly, as she realised she had to pass right beside him to go and pack. She debated between sitting down and wait or just do it, but she was already standing up, so sitting back down was even more suspicious.

She kept her eyes glued to the floor as she went past him. She could smell his aroma as her shoulder nearly brushed his, and she caught a glimpse of his conversation. He was talking about the blonde Slytherin girl.

"If you want Tatiana then, just take her away, I don't need her anymore…" Nott was telling his friend.

Victoire couldn't help but wonder at his words. If he didn't want the blonde girl anymore, it certainly meant he was planning on making her sleep with him, was it not? She was suddenly afraid, and she remembered with certain apprehension the way he had almost forced her into doing something she was not comfortable with. In what mess did she get herself into? She had deluded herself into thinking that Nott was a good person, but what if he was not? _Maybe Teddy was right and this was a huge mistake,_ she thought.

But her reflections on the matter were suddenly cut short as she felt a hand pulled her shoulder from behind, and she turned around instantly. Nott was centimeters away from her face, his smirk in place and his eyes playful. A cold shiver went through her spine and she stepped away.

"Where do you think you're going?" he said, his smirk disappearing and extending an arm in her direction. He made a move to grab her arm, but she stepped further back. "What's going on?"

"We're in public." Victoire lied. "Someone might see us and my sister is getting suspicious."

"Follow me then." Nott said, turning around and walking towards the dungeons. The Entrance Hall was empty except for them, everyone else was either having a late breakfast or packing. She hesitated, standing glued to her spot, she watched as Nott's back was getting away from her, and she was unable to move.

"You coming or not?" he said, turning his head slightly, never stopping.

"I'm coming." Victoire finally said, her feet moving on their own accord. She followed him to an empty classroom in silence. He closed the door behind her and conjured up a bright fire that he placed on the teacher's desk, instantly warming up the small room. She was still perched on the door, her hands behind her back and her lower lip being bitten. She was really nervous and afraid, and she had no clue why. Nott turned to look at her then, and extended his arm again, for her to come to him.

"Are you going to make me go to you?" he asked, his voice coming off a little irritated. He extended his arm even more. Victoire walked towards him shyly and her face burning up.

"Are you back to being shy and innocent now?" Nott asked, teasingly, as he grabbed her waist and pulled her forcefully to him.

"I'm not doing it on purpose." Victoire claimed, setting her hands on his chest. "I'm just embarrassed."

"I wanted to talk to you about it, actually." Nott said, searching her eyes. "I guess I need to apologise for last night. I was a bit annoyed."

"Apology accepted." Victoire whispered.

"But still," Nott said, sighing. "It's a little frustrating that you won't let me do anything. Why are we even doing this if I have to behave?"

"I want to...forget."

"About the other bloke, I know." Nott sighed again. "But baby, I told you since the beginning that I am a physical person, I need to touch you. And you agreed."

"Will that make me forget?" Victoire asked innocently.

"I don't know, darling. But I can try." Nott said, truthfully. "You just have to let me try."

Victoire was confused again. What was he asking permission for exactly? If she said yes, was she consenting to having sex with him? She didn't want to do it if she was not in love, and right then, she was sure she was not in love with him. She was attracted to him, that was a fact, but she was also afraid, and he made her feel uncomfortable. That was certainly not love.

"No sex." she said simply, lowering her eyes. "But I guess we can do everything else. Just...slowly."

"Yes, yes. We've been through that. Can we at least finish what we started last night?" Nott said, his member instantly hardening. Victoire could feel it poking the lower part of her belly. Her face burned up even more, if that was even possible.

"All right…" she whispered. Nott didn't need any further approval, he swiftly took her off her feet and sat her down on the teacher's desk, careful not to knock over the fire. He parted her legs and inserted himself between them, taking her by the waist and kissing her fully on the mouth. She was taken by surprise, not completely sure how to respond to his fervent kisses. She tried to keep up with his mouth, but he seemed almost desperate. He instantly took off her sweater, leaving her in a thin cotton t shirt. She shivered.

"Are you cold?" Nott asked softly.

"Yes." Victoire said, crossing her arms over her chest. Nott conjured up another fire, making them levitate around them so the sublime warm could wash over them.

"Is that better?" he whispered into her ear right before taking her earlobe between his lips.

"Hmm." Victoire hummed. He continued kissing, almost ravishing her with his mouth. His lips moved from her earlobe to her jaw, and then down to her neck. He touched her over her clothes, squeezing her breasts and pressing her nipple with his thump. Victoire moaned involuntarily and stiffened her legs around him.

"Easy, baby. I've not even started yet." he said, his voice low and guttural. His hands swiftly slid under her shirt, his cold hand caressing her taunt stomach. She shivered again, pulling out his hair and resting her forehead on his shoulder. He moved rapidly, trying to touch everything before Victoire could reject him again. His hands were under her shirt, over her bra, squeezing with force and rocking his hips to her. His mouth was again in hers, introducing his tongue and grasping for her lips. Victoire was overwhelmed by his ever increasing desire, her insides were churning and her head was spinning. She had doubts about everything, and still she let him take off his sweater and discard his shirt. Her hands quickly caressed his bare chest and he responded with inserting his fingers beneath her bra. It was the first time she was touched skin on skin and her whole body was trembling.

She was not sure when Nott had discarded her clothes too, and she was left in just her jeans, staring straight at him. Her skin quickly reddened, a lump forming in her throat, and she tried to cover her chest with her arms.

"Don't…" Nott warned, his hands stopping her arms. He kissed her neck and shoulder, taking her breasts in his hands, flicking her nipples.

"No…" Victoire whispered, her eyes shut close and her hands on Nott's shoulders. She wanted him to stop, but she immediately thought of Teddy and she stayed quiet.

"Relax, baby." Nott breathed. "You'll like it." And then Nott lowered his mouth and licked the tip of her right breast. Victoire's reaction was automatic, her head leaned back and her chest rushed out to meet his mouth more forcefully, a moan escaped her lips and Teddy's name was spoken. Nott slowly separated his head from her chest, he looked at her, his eyes blank and his expression serious. Victoire covered her chest with her arms and blushed deeply when she realised what she had done.

"You're thinking about him while I do this to you?" he asked, his voice leveled and his face lacking emotion.

"I-It wasn't...intentional." Victoire declared, her face burning up.

"Am I… Do you…" it was the first time ever that Victoire had seen Nott's words failing him. She stared at him in surprise and waited for him to organise his thoughts.

"Let's stop now." he said in a quiet voice, getting their clothes from the floor.

"Stop?..." Victoire asked in a tentative whisper. "I thought…"

"It's not important anymore." he said, a little harsher than usual. "Just get dress."

Victoire took the t-shirt that Nott was handing her, and putting on her bra she peered at him. He wasn't looking at her, dressing as quickly as possible. Victoire hadn't put on her sweater yet when he was already standing by the door.

"I'll see you." Nott said in almost a whisper.

"You're angry." Victoire stated.

"Have a nice break." Nott said louder, stepping out of the room. The small fires had remained with Victoire, and she turned them out just before getting out. She felt funny. What exactly had just happened? She had never seen Nott act that way before, and she had figured her little slip up was nothing to him. He already knew she wanted to forget someone else, but he had looked...hurt. Victoire's head was spinning again, she had to rest her right hand on the hallway wall to get her mind straight. And when she looked up, she saw Dominique, her face contorted and walking straight to her.


	9. Cowardice

**A/N: Hello! Thank you so much for sticking with this story until now. We are about the halfway point now, and I just needed to tell you how happy it has made me to see you guys really like the story. Your love makes me write faster. Please please, review and tell me what you think and what mistakes I can improve on, and I would be forever thankful to you. And now, enjoy! :)**

9\. Cowardice

Teddy Lupin was startled by the dream he had just woken up to. Of course Victoire was there, as she was in all his dreams lately, but she had been naked and aroused and it had made him aroused too. He scratched his head and came out of bed. He looked at himself in the full-length mirror and sighed. His hair was bubble-gum pink, and he could clearly see his erection inside his pyjama bottoms. He had to do something about his recent thoughts about Victoire before he saw her later in the evening, as he was already having trouble with even mustering the courage to talk to her normally.

He hadn't heard from her in a month. Her silence was suspicious, and he remembered with sadness what she said to him the last time they saw each other. She had developed feelings for Nott, and apparently he had offered to shag her. He felt a wave of jealousy invade him, and he sighed again. This Christmas was not going to be easy. He shook his head and instantly vanished the pink hair out of his head. He was glad he was staying at his grandmum's for the holidays, because having three roommates meant he always had to be on the lookout and constantly avoiding thoughts that would turn his hair pink.

"Are you awake?" his grandmum called behind the closed door.

"Yes." Teddy called back, sitting on the bed again.

"It's almost noon. You have to go."

"Yes. I understand." it had been a yearly tradition to have Christmas lunch with Harry and Ginny, and then in the evening they would all go to the Burrow, and his grandmum would come for dinner and the whole family was complete. But he was dreading it, the yearly tradition was about to become torture.

He dressed quietly, pulling the homemade cardigan Molly had knitted for him over a t-shirt of his new favorite band of the moment: The Basilisks. He shook his head, and turned his hair jet black, in an effort to not letting the pink out. He hated pink.

"I'll catch up with you later." his grandmum called from the kitchen. "I need to get started on this pudding."

"Don't be too late." Teddy warned, getting his coat on. "Maybe we could come back early…" he mumbled under his breath.

"I won't. See you there." his grandmum called distractedly.

Teddy Apparated at Harry's place right at noon. He was having a difficult time finding his own thoughts as he knocked on the door. He was overthinking everything and he was starting to panic. He hated being in love.

"Ted, come in." Harry said, opening the door. "We were about to start lunch."

"Sorry I'm late." Teddy mumbled.

"Don't worry about it." Harry slapped him affectionately on the back. "What's wrong?"

"What?" Teddy asked, lifting his gaze to Harry's.

"You look a little...green." Harry led Teddy to the living room, ignoring Ginny's yells from the kitchen asking if Teddy had arrived.

"Do I?" Ted asked, helplessly. He sat down on the couch, sighing heavily and rubbing his face with his hands. "I feel kind of squeamish."

"Did you eat something funny?" Harry asked, his brow furrowed.

"No." Teddy kept rubbing his face and he could feel his hair turning from black to pink in no time.

"Is it a fever?" he said, touching Teddy's forehead. "No, you're fine."

"I feel a little out of breath." Teddy said, realising that he was having a hard time breathing. "Like there's something on my chest."

"Why don't you lie down for a little bit?" Harry asked, standing up from the couch and offering it to Teddy.

"Oh Merlin." Teddy whispered, lifting his large feet to the couch and covering his face. He was feeling more awful by the minute.

"Ginny!" Teddy heard Harry call from afar. His hearing was clouding rapidly. "Ginny come quick!"

He heard Ginny's footsteps approach, and then he heard her muttering some spell under her breath, and then she took away his hands from his face, looking at him with tenderness. Teddy felt instant relief, his heart, that had started to beat furiously, was then soothed. He sighed again and sat down on the couch, a preoccupied Harry hovering over him.

"Are you all right now?" Ginny asked, sitting next to him on the couch.

"Yes, thank you." he said, his cheeks reddening. It embarrassed him deeply every time Ginny cooed him like she did with James and Albus. "I don't know what happened."

"It seemed like a panic attack, Teddy." Ginny said straightforwardly.

"A panic attack?" Harry echoed in a concerned voice. "What's going on Teddy?"

"I-I don't…" Teddy's embarrassment grew immensely as he realised why his panic was escalating.

"Is something the matter?" Ginny asked softly. "You can talk to us. If there's something with your granny or-"

"No!" Teddy said quickly. "It has nothing to do with granny. It's just...pathetic."

"I'm sure, whatever it is, it's not as bad as you believe. And I'm sure if you talk to somebody about it, you'll feel better." Ginny continued in a calm voice, taking Teddy's hand in between hers.

"Harry already knows." Teddy mumbled, his face reddening again.

"I do?" Harry asked, surprised.

"About...her."

"About...her?" Harry asked cluelessly.

"You don't remember?" Teddy asked, suddenly desperation growing inside him. _Of course he wouldn't remember, it was not that important,_ Teddy thought.

"Are you in love with someone?" Ginny asked, squeezing Teddy's hand and her face lighting up.

"I-I...am."

"Oh!" Harry said, realising where the conversation was heading. "About _her._ "

"It's nothing." Teddy stood up suddenly. "Just forget it."

"No!" Ginny stood up too. "You can tell us. You can tell me. I'll help you."

"I'll talk to him." Harry declared, and grabbed Teddy's shoulder, leading him to his office.

"I don't want to talk about anything, really." Teddy said, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"Ted," Harry began, sitting down in an armchair by the fire. "If you're having a panic attack about it, then it's serious."

"I think I was just overthinking things." Teddy said, sitting down on the armchair opposite Harry's.

"What were you overthinking?" Harry scratched his head, clearly this was far beyond his comfort zone too.

"Harry…" Teddy started. "what do I do if Victoire…"

"I think you don't need to have plans, Ted. Just let everything run its course." Harry said.

"But what if she doesn't...what if I can't...I mean...She surely...with that other bloke...Or what if…" Teddy mumbled, feeling more dejected as every word came out of his mouth.

Harry laughed. It was not a cruel laugh or a laugh to ridicule Teddy, even. It was more of a proud laugh, and it disconcerted Teddy deeply. Why was he so delighted? His face reddened and Harry just scratched his head again and with a shy smile he said:

"I think she is important to you and you'll never know anything until you try."

"I know…" Teddy sighed.

"It doesn't have to be today, or even tomorrow, but just remember that if you don't do it, you'll never know."

Teddy knew Harry was right, he was being a coward avoiding Victoire, and avoiding his feelings, but he hated it. He wanted everything to go back to normal, to being just Victoire and Teddy without the complicated emotions attached to it. He was physically in pain, and his chest and his heart were aching thinking about her.

Lunch went by in a jiffy. Teddy didn't register what was being spoken or what he was eating. He just continued with tasks automatically, his stomach somersaulting every time Victoire's name was said, or when Ginny mentioned his recent panic attack. He just nodded along and ignored everything. After lunch, James, Albus, Lily and Teddy went out to the back yard for a little Quidditch.

"Teddy, I want to ride with you." Lily said, pulling his sleeve.

"You're a big girl, already, Lily, I don't think riding together would be a good idea. Why don't you take out your broom and show me what you've learned." Teddy said, dismissively.

He was Keeper while the Potter kids threw balls at him, he missed everyone of them, making him feel even more dejected.

"What's gotten into you, Lupin?" James asked him. "You've been out of game for less than 6 months and you've become lousy."

"James, stop being nasty to people!" Ginny called from the house.

"It's fine, Ginny." Teddy called back. And then he turned to James and said in a quiet whisper: "When you are captain of the Gryffindor team and get an offer from the Magpies, then we can discuss about it."

"You got an offer?" James asked incredulously, packing the balls and brooms into the broomshed.

"Last summer." Teddy said nonchalantly.

"Then I'll get one for the Chudley Cannons and the Magpies, _and_ for the national team!" James said with confidence.

"Dream high, kid." Teddy winked at him, walking towards the house. "And maybe your dreams would come true."

"Dad! How did you become captain of the Gryffindor team?! I need to beat Teddy!" James said to Harry once they had entered the house.

"With a lot of hard work, and being awesome." Harry said, ruffling his son's hair.

"You were ok, Potter. Don't flatter yourself too much." Ginny said, sticking out his tongue at him.

"Oi, Weasley!" Harry said, grabbing his wife by the waist and snuggling her close, kissing her fully on the lips.

"Yeach! Ew!" their three children yelped at the same time, averting their eyes. Harry and Ginny laughed.

"Are you ready to go?" Ginny asked her children. She walked towards the fireplace and handed James the Floo Powder. He disappeared calling out "the Burrow".

One by one the Potters disappeared into the fireplace, leaving green flames behind them. At last, just Harry and Teddy were left. Harry came closer to Teddy and patted him on the back.

"Are you ready?" he asked, smiling.

"Not really…" Teddy said. "I didn't know I was such a coward until today."

"Being afraid is not being a coward." Harry said, reassuringly. "Overcoming your fear and acting in spite of it, is what makes you brave, and you know this."

"Fighting dark wizards and unknown hexes and curses is nothing compared to what I'm feeling right now." Teddy said, his face falling.

"When I started to have feelings for Ginny, I was mortally afraid." Harry said, scratching his head and ruffling it. "I knew that if Ron find out he would murder me in my sleep, but-"

"He accepted it." Teddy finished. "I have heard this story before."

"Yes, you have. And you've heard how your father was terrified of the wolf gene and yet he had you, and he loved you and he loved your mother. So you don't have to be afraid, kid. There are worst pains out there."

"I don't know why it has struck me so hard. I've never felt this way before." Teddy said, his hand on the jar with the Floo Powder.

"It's called love, Ted. And I can officially say you are a man now. Falling in love is what men do."

"Cheers, Harry." Teddy said, feeling a little better. "But are you sure is fine?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, getting some of the Floo Powder for himself.

"About me and Victoire?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because she's your niece." Teddy stated, as if it was so obvious why Harry should hate it.

"And you're my son." he said simply. "I cannot think of a better match than this one."

Teddy beamed and watched as Harry disappeared engulfed by the green flames. _He loves me as a son,_ Teddy repeated in his head. Those words resonated inside his head, making him smile. He had always thought he belonged to Harry, he was his parent in the absence of a real one, but he had always feared Harry only thought of him as his teacher's son. Doubts that were clouding his mind for years now, suddenly dissipated. And with this newly found peace of mind, Teddy grabbed the Floo Powder and chanted "the Burrow" and he was suddenly standing in the middle of Molly's and Arthur's living room, smiling back to the redheads.

"Teddy!" Molly screeched, coming to him and hugging him with all her plumped might. "I have not seen you in so long. You're all grown up now!"

"Thanks, Molly." Teddy mumbled, feeling embarrassed.

"And where is your dear grandmother?" she asked, handing Teddy to her husband for another bone-crushing hug.

"She's coming, she said she was making a pudding." Teddy said between somebody else's arms (he couldn't keep up with the amount of hugs he was receiving).

"Oh, that woman! I told her to not bring anything! She always does this and she's a guest!" Molly fumed all the way back to the kitchen. Teddy chuckled.

But his good humor was instantly drained from his face when he saw Dominique and Louis heading up the stairs. Bill and Fleur were down there, sitting in the living room with the rest of the adults. Teddy gulped and went upstairs to look for Victoire. Despite his fears and insecurities, he was attracted to her like a magnet. Knowing she was in the same house as he was, was enough to make him go to her. He needed to see her face and her smile and her long blonde-white hair.

"Teddy," Lily said, grabbing his arm. "Hugo and I are playing over here."

"I can't right now, Lils. I have to look for somebody else."

"But Teddy-!" Lily whined, tugging his sleeve harder. Lily's pleas were drown instantly on Teddy's mind, as he heard a familiar voice filling his ears. She was on the third-floor landing, talking to Dominique in a loud chatter. Nay, she was not talking, she was arguing. Teddy dismissively ruffled Lily's hair and went to the stairs, listening hard to make out their words as he approached.

"-but I told you about Charlie!" Dominique said harshly.

"You volunteered that information!" Victoire snapped back. "I didn't ask for it!"

"You are not suppose to keep anything from me! I'm your sister and best friend! You've never done anything like that before!"

"Just because I told you about my love life in the past doesn't mean I need to tell you about it every time!" Victoire shrieked. Teddy froze in place at the mention of Victoire's heart. He wanted to continue listening, but he was torn between curiosity and fear, so he stepped forward, venturing into the landing.

"Are you in love with him? Because if you're not, then-"

"That's none of your bloody business." Victoire said calmly and when she turned her head she saw Teddy at the foot of the stairs. "What do you want?!" she almost shrieked at him too.

"What's going on?" Teddy asked sheepishly.

"Maybe he can talk some sense into you!" Dominique said, walking towards him. "Do you know who Victoire has been sn-"

Her sentence was cut short by a very angry Victoire, pulling Dominique out of the way, getting in front of Teddy in a protective manner.

"He knows, just stop it." Victoire said in a serious voice.

"He knows?!" Dominique gaped at him in disbelief. "How can you know about it and do nothing?!"

"It's my business, and I'd prefer it if you wouldn't go and divulge it to the rest of the family!" Victoire snapped again, crossing her arms above her chest.

"Fine!" Dominique said, huffing. "Do whatever you want, but don't come running to me when he breaks your heart!"

Dominique stormed down the stairs noisily. Victoire remained with her back to Teddy, her arms crossed, and he was unable to move. He scanned Victoire's back, her neck, and her slim shoulders; this was the girl he had fantasised about for the last four months non-stop, but as he gazed at her, she looked completely unattainable, and that thought was enough to make Teddy shudder.

"Dominique found out about Nott." Victoire said quietly.

"I figured." Teddy said, his chest constricting.

Victoire spun around, her face ablaze by the recent argument she was having. It was a weird sight, Victoire was rarely angry, she was a happy person, and seeing her like that was making him curios. What other aspects of Victoire had he missed in all these years? So far, he had seen the happy Victoire, the timid Victoire, the naïve Victoire, the drunk Victoire, and now the angry Victoire. He wanted to see more of her, more of her expressions, more of her moods, more of everything.

"How did she found out?" Teddy asked apprehensively. He was not keen to know exactly what was going on with Nott, but he was jealous.

"We were-" a door opened to their left, and Rose and Albus came out of the room, a look of bewilderment on their faces. They were covered in soth, and Teddy immediately knew they have been up to no good.

"Come here." Teddy whispered, grabbing lightly Victoire's shoulder to lead her into one of the bedrooms.

"Dominique followed me and saw us leave an abandoned classroom." Victoire said, her stance somewhat more relaxed. They were in Percy's old bedroom, so everything was neatly stacked and the walls were covered in a serious wallpaper.

"What were you doing in there?" Teddy asked as casually as he could.

"Stuff…" Victoire said, sitting down on the bed and looking elsewhere. Teddy gulped.

"So you guys are really together?" he asked, sitting down beside her on the bed.

"Yeah…" Victoire made a funny face. "Sort of."

"Sort of?" Teddy raised his eyebrow. "So he is not your boyfriend?"

"It's complicated, Teddy." Victoire said, exasperated.

"What's so complicated? Please, enlightened me." he was feeling irritated himself.

"You know, about the bet. It's all leading up to it and-"

"I don't care about the stupid bet, Vic!" Teddy snapped. "I care about you, and you're going to get hurt."

"Yes, I know you think that but really-"

"What is that twat doing to you...exactly?" Teddy snapped again, turning his head to look seriously at Victoire.

"What?" Victoire asked, reddening.

"Tell me. What's he doing to you?" Teddy's face felt red and bothersome. He was angry and jealous and he wanted to scream at her for getting into this situation.

"Doing...to me?" Victoire said, avoiding his gaze and blushing madly. "I don't want to tell you."

"Are you shagging?" Teddy asked curtly.

"Why are you asking that?" Victoire replied, crossing her arms over her chest in an effort to hide herself.

"Are you even in love with him?" Teddy snapped again, ignoring her question.

"I want to be!" Victoire said, turning her eyes to him and watching him directly to his face. Baby blue reflected on brown.

"He's using you." Teddy stated, more calmly.

"And I'm using him." Victoire said with confidence. "So we're even."

"You want a boyfriend that badly?"

"It's not about that."

"Then is it about the bloody bet?" Teddy asked, standing up and pacing in front of her. "I told you, already. We should just stop it. You win, all right? Your matchmaking skills are top of the notch, so just stop messing around."

"It's not about the bet either."

"Then explain it to me, Victoire, because I truly can't understand you." Teddy stopped pacing, he stood right in front of her, his anger subsiding, his anxiety rising.

"You don't have to understand anything!"

"Why are you treating me like that? We are suppose to be friends!"

"I am fed up with people trying to be my friend and just getting in my business like they owned me!"

"Then what do you want? For me to stop caring about you?"

"Yes!" Victoire shrieked. Teddy stood there, looking at her, his heart sinking and his hair downing to its bland brown. Why was he so disappointed? What exactly did he expect from today? Was he going to kiss her? Was he going to confess his recently discovered feelings? No, it was the other way around. He was actually hoping Victoire would make some sort of sign that would let him know that she felt the same way. Could he be anymore of a coward?

"Then be happy with him." Teddy said, his jaw clenching. "I won't say anything else. I didn't know you had become this person."

"What?" Victoire said, her brows frowning.

"If you want to go around lifting your skirt to that git, then be my guess. I won't care anymore if he hurts you. I've warned you so many times, that you deserve it." Teddy said, despicably.

"Teddy…" Victoire said, standing up to face him. "You don't mean that…"

"I do, Victoire. I truly do." he said, to her face, his eyes set on hers.

"You're such a stupid schmuck! Why can't you just wish me happiness!" Victoire exploded. "It's all because of you! And you dare to hate me! Well, guess what, Ted Lupin? I hate _you_!

"Fine by me." Teddy mumbled. Victoire pushed past him, her shoulder colliding with him, and her alluring aroma lingering. He watched as she opened the door and descended the stairs, and he stood there, his throat tightening and his heart crunching.


	10. Stop

10\. Stop

Victoire ran to the Library as if her life depended upon it. It had almost been a week since they had come back to the Castle and she had had no opportunity to seek Nott out. She ran past Louis and Charlie and didn't even stop to greet them, she ran under the scrutiny of a very decrepit Mrs. Norris, she ran into the Library, ignoring Madam Pince and her reprimands. She ran until she saw Nott in his usual corner, reading a thick book with his back to her.

Victoire went to him, and hugged his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder. Nott turned his face to her, and she hid her face on his neck. Nott chuckled and made a move to stand up, she let go, and he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to him.

"Somebody might see us." he said, resting his chin at the top of her head.

"I don't care." Victoire said with a muffled voice. "Let's get out of here."

Victoire didn't need to say it twice. Nott quickly gathered his belongings, following Victoire out. She rounded the corner and mouthed to him: "Room of Requirement" and broke at a run again.

She arrived at the Room in no time, panting, her insides burning up, and she lay down on the huge bed waiting for him. He was going to take his time, he was probably going down to the dungeons to drop his things, so she let out a gigantic sigh and curled up in the fluffy pillows. A fire was soaring, and she was perfectly warm and happy.

Except she wasn't. Christmas had been a torture, not only Dominique gave her a hard time, she also had managed to ruin her friendship with Teddy. She hadn't meant to, in fact, she wanted to fix things with him, to become best friends again so she could move on and continue this relationship, or whatever it was, with Nott and not feel so guilty. But she completely did the opposite. She yelled at him and left him there looking totally broken. _He wanted to fix things too,_ Victoire thought. She had secluded herself in her bedroom for the rest of the holydays and Teddy (nor Dominique for that matter) had not come to her in hopes of start anew. She knew things couldn't go on like that, she missed Teddy and Dominique and she needed to find a way to make it all back to normal.

 _I made a terrible decision,_ she thought too. Deep down she understood she had chosen Nott over Teddy, she had let her _thing_ with the Slytherin interfere with her friendship, but she couldn't help it. Everybody had been so opposed to it, and she felt Nott was helping her move on. He was like a soothing medicine, one that helped hide the after effects of Ted Lupin. But to everybody else's eyes, she was just foolishly jumping into bed with him. Maybe she was foolish and naïve, but it was her goddamned decision if she wanted to jump into bed with him.

"Still...you didn't need to be so horrid." Victoire said to the Teddy in his mind.

"Am I being horrid?" she heard Nott's voice. She lifted her head from the fluffy pillow to see him standing at the foot of the bed, getting his robes off.

"I was talking to myself." Victoire said reddening.

"Why are you always blushing? It's annoying." Nott said, his eyes playful. He proceeded into unbuttoning his shirt, and tossing his tie to the floor.

"Sorry." Victoire mumbled. "You always make me blush."

"We have to do something about that then." he said, now unzipping his trousers. He let them fall, and Victoire could clearly discern his penis sticking up under his pants. She gulped.

"Like what?" Victoire blushed even more.

"We'll decide on that later." he said, pulling down his pants, too. There he was, completely naked and erect. He licked his lips. "Why are you still dress? Come here."

Victoire crawled all the way to the foot of the bed, and stood on her knees in front of him. He kissed her slowly on the lips, only teasing her with his tongue, and then his fingers started unbuttoning her shirt. He tossed her tie, too, kissing then her neck and collarbone. Her bra followed up her shirt. Her bare chest was exposed to him, and he kissed the peak of her breasts too. It was slow and deliberate and it felt to Victoire as demanding as his other kisses. He grabbed her waist and pulled her even closer, squeezing her in his arms, making her skin pushed flat against his. His hands slowly wandered to her bum, over her skirt, only caressing with his finger tips. His lips overtook hers again.

"Ah, Nott." Victoire said between kisses.

"Don't move, baby." Nott said, breathing hard and capturing her lips again in his. His hands moved swiftly and when Victoire noticed, her skirt was already pooling at the base of her knees, her red panties showing. He squeezed her again in his arms and lifted her, stepping into the bed and making her lay down underneath him.

He let her lips go, just to look at her fully for the first time. He glanced down, roaming her whole figure with his eyes, savoring each centimeter of her exposed flesh. He lingered momentarily on her legs and sex, lifting his eyes slowly towards her breasts.

"You're fucking sexy." he breathed out, burying his face in her hair and kissing her earlobe. "I like my women like this: just panties and long stockings."

"Ah," Victoire moaned as his wet lips found her sensitive spot beneath her ear. She wrapped her legs around his middle, positioning her core to his pulsating member, and then she started rubbing herself. Her body was mostly acting fueled by passion and numbness. Her mind was a complete blank.

"Yes, just like that." he whispered, rocking his body in rhythm with her. They continued like that, mumbling incoherencies and feeling their pleasure increasing.

"Let me fuck you." Nott finally spat, his hard on becoming painful under all that dry humping. "Please, Victoire, let me fuck you."

"Ah," Victoire stammered, her mind racing for the first time since Nott entered the room. Her first impulse was to shove Nott and run away, but she was pinned down and her limbs had become inexplicably tangled. "No, Nott…"

He was not listening. He was massaging her breasts more roughly now, and his lips were almost attacking her neck. She was suddenly afraid his antics would leave a mark that she was not going to be able to hide.

"Please…" she whispered, tears springing to her eyes. "Stop."

Nott rolled over on his back, instantly setting Victoire free. She managed to wipe out any inconspicuous tear that could have escaped her eyes, and then she grabbed the duvet and covered herself.

"I told you-"

"I know." Nott sighed. "I'm sorry. Come here."

Victoire was surprised at his reaction. She had expected him to get angry and make her get dress again. But no, he was right there beside her, opening his arms for her to climb into and rest her head on his chest. She did so, feeling strange and unwelcome at first, but as the seconds passed and he slowly caressed her hair and his breathing steadied itself, Victoire felt more at ease.

"Are you ok with this?" she asked, tentatively. "I know you want to, but I-"

"You need to be in love. I get it." he said, tensing a bit. "It's fine. I don't care anymore, by now I've become used to the idea of never possessing you."

"Possess me?"

"You know what I mean."

"I thought you _fucked._ " Victoire said, reddening instantly at the bad word. Nott smiled to himself and kissed the top of her head.

"Is it not the same?" he asked, a teasing tone on his voice.

"Not to me."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Well," Victoire began, rolling on her stomach to see his face. "If you... _fuck_...me is something purely physical, is it not? But if you possess me, is the whole me. You've got to deal with my mind, body, and soul, and by definition it will all be yours."

"What are you implying?" Nott asked, an eyebrow raised, tucking a stray hair behind Victoire's ear.

"I'm implying…" she said, lowering her eyes. "Don't use words that can mean something more."

"Victoire," Nott said, caressing her hair with the same hand he used to tuck it. "you're well aware that I don't..."

"Oh! I know!" Victoire said quickly. "And I'm not saying that's the case. I just found your word choosing a little interesting."

Nott laughed, but his laugh was stiff and his eyes remained serious. He tucked one arm behind his head, lifting it and then he looked at the ceiling.

"In my vocabulary, possess is just another word for fuck. And I indeed want to fuck you. I have wanted it for a very long time."

"I thought you found me annoying at first." Victoire giggled.

"I did. I still do sometimes." he said, chuckling. "But you still are hot as fuck, baby, and what we do here has nothing to do with if I particularly like you or not."

"Are you…" Victoire hesitated. Did she really wanted to know what she was about to ask? She was instantly afraid of what he might say. Her suspicions were growing and if he was not sleeping with anybody else, what did it meant?

"Am I…?" Nott asked in returned.

"Are you _seeing_ somebody else?" Victoire blushed profusely.

"I am not _seeing_ anybody." he said, teasing her. "I'm not fucking anybody else either."

"What about the blonde?" Victoire asked.

"Tatiana?" Nott asked, calmly. "What about her? I got bored of her ages ago. So I told her to go away."

"Why?" Victoire blushed even more and rested her head on Nott's chest again, so he wouldn't see.

"Just because. I had been wanting to tell her to fuck off, so I finally did." he said, nonchalantly. And then he raised his wrist to his eyes and sighed. "It's already past midnight. Let's stay here and go back a little before dawn."

 _Together?_ , Victoire thought. But she remained silent, snuggling closer into his chest, her worries becoming instantly greater. In close to no time, they were both fast asleep, their forms calmly breathing in unison, and even though anyone seeing this scene would have felt it was two people in love, the last thought on Victoire's mind before completely falling asleep was: _I need to break up with him._

After that first night together, Nott had slithered his way into all of Victoire's idle moments. She was mostly happy to see him at the Library while she studied, or looking at her during dinner from across the hall. She even was delighted every time he surprisingly pulled her into the nearest broom cupboard while she walked to her Transfiguration class, and didn't even get mad whenever she was late because of it. But for all those three weeks that followed from that first night together, she kept having that nagging thought at the back of her mind. Why was it that she was so afraid?

Dominique came to her one morning while she combed her hair. Dominique entered her room, and she stood behind her in front of the mirror. Victoire watched her closely in the mirror's reflection. She looked sad, her blue eyes casted down, and her long reddish hair limping down her heart-shaped face. Dominique grabbed the brush from Victoire's hand, and started brushing for her, delicately unknotting her sister's long white-blond hair.

"I'm sorry." she said after some time. "Do you love him?"

Victoire frowned, and then sighed. Was she going to go for honesty or continue the lie?

"I don't know yet." she decided for neither. "He makes me laugh and I feel at ease, so that's something. But I still don't really…"

"Because of Teddy?" she asked, brading the upper part of Victoire's hair. "I think he started dating somebody."

"What?" Victoire asked, her neck almost snapping from the sudden movement she did to look at her sister right in the face.

"I received a letter from Mama last night. She said she saw Teddy with some friends at the Leaky Cauldron, and when she stepped nearer to say hi, she saw a girl stealing a kiss from him and he just laughed." Dominique said, apprehension running her features.

"He laughed?" Victoire said in a whisper, turning back to the mirror and looking at herself.

"But I'm sure it's nothing, I mean, Teddy would have told us, right? If he was actually dating someone?" Dominique said, her eyes casted down again. "Anyway, I'm sorry for what I said at Christmas… If you love him, and you're happy with him, then it's fine with me, no matter if he's a Slytherin or whatever."

"Don't worry about it, Dom." Victoire said absentmindedly, Dominique braiding the back of her head. "And I don't mind about Teddy anymore. I guess we've never meant to be more than friends. And that's fine."

After Dominique finished with Victoire's hair, the sisters went down to breakfast, their arms linked and their smiles content. Dominique started chatting away about the latest news about Quidditch. Ravenclaw had managed to lose against Hufflepuff and Hufflepuff was flattened by Slytherin in the turn-around game, which meant, against all odds, Gryffindor might stand a chance again at the Cup.

"We just have to beat Hufflepuff by six hundred points and we will be able to compete against Slytherin in the finale. I can't believe Jessica haven't cornered you about this." Dominique said.

"I haven't exactly been around much." Victoire said, blushing slightly.

"She'll talk to you soon enough, she cornered Louis yesterday and asked him to free his schedule for extra practice." Dominique continued.

"I guess as I was a failure in the last game, I'll need to catch up to it." Victoire said, sighing.

The girls hadn't even arrived at the Gryffindor table when they spotted Jessica, talking to Louis and Charlie with a broom on her shoulder. Victoire sat down opposite her brother, and Jessica immediately rounded up on her.

"Where have you been?" Jessica began. "I looked for you everywhere last night. We need practice, and a healthy breakfast and to plan out our next strategy and maybe we'll need some intel on the other team. I mean, Hufflepuff is not as strong as it was at the beginning at their match against Ravenclaw, but it still has strong players who can turn nasty when faced with-"

Victoire stopped listening the moment a brown owl dropped an envelope right in the middle of her empty plate. She looked at it with surprise and she immediately clutched it to her chest, trying to get Dominique's prying eyes away from it. She did love her sister, but this whole mess with Teddy and Nott was too much to explain.

"What is it?" Dominique whispered to her.

"I have to go." she mumbled to a still talking Jessica and a baffled Dominique. She sprang out of there, trying with all her might not to think about the contents of the letter, and still clutching it tight. She ran the whole way with tears suddenly making their way into her eyes. She arrived at the library to her secluded corner just as her tears began to spill, and only then she dared to look at the envelope closer.

 _It's from Teddy_ , she said in her mind. It was the first attempt of communication he had made since their fight at Christmas, and Victoire was almost certain that it had to do with what her mother had seen. _What if he wants to tell me about his girlfriend?,_ she thought pathetically.

She stayed there in her corner, watching the envelope and unable to muster the courage to open it for several minutes. Her head kept imagining what could the contents be, and as time went on, her imagination became wilder and more awful. And just when she turned around the envelope to open it, somebody covered her eyes with his hands.

"Guess who?" he said in a sultry voice, but then he refrained and turned her in her seat to look at her face. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying." Victoire stated over her spilt tears, getting the envelope under the table to hide it from Nott.

"You are." he simply said, taking a seat beside her. "I found it odd that you ran away from the Great Hall like that. I guess that was the reason. And what's this?"

Nott pulled at the visible corner of the envelope, and took it away from her hands. He turned it around and read the name on it. He frowned and then looked at her.

"This bloke was Head Boy last year…" he said, connecting the dots, looking straight to her face. "Is he the one…?"

"No!" she said rather quickly. "He's just…"

"You have not gotten over him…" Nott said slowly turning the envelope around, and toying with the opening.

"Don't!" Victoire said, snatching it away from him.

"Why not?" Nott said, his eyes with a fire that Victoire had never seen before. "What's in that letter?"

"I don't know! I don't want to know if…" Victoire sobbed.

"What do you not want to know, Victoire?" Nott asked, his face searching hers.

"He's writing because he got a new girlfriend, I can tell. Somebody saw him kissing her, and now he's written to me, explaining, and…" Victoire's voice got drowned in her sorrow.

"You're definitely not over him." Nott said, his voice serious and dead. "Let's stop now."

"What?..." Victoire turned her head to look at him, her tear-filled eyes focusing on his honest face. "Stop what?"

"This...thing, you and I have. Let's stop it." Nott said, standing up. "Frankly, I'm getting tired of this shit, and you're not even worth it, Weasley. So don't drag me down anymore."

"Nott…" Victoire managed to say, but as the sound escaped her mouth, Nott had already turned back, and he was walking away from her. She was dumbfounded. _What exactly did just happened?_ , she asked herself. Her tears completely stopped, and as she saw him go, she realised he did exactly what she wanted.


	11. Letter

11\. Letter

Victoire Weasley loved the smell of leather in the morning, specially in a chilly morning like that one at the end of February. She took off from the ground, feeling excited and pumped up. Recently it had been a roller coaster of emotions, and being up there with a broom between her legs made her feel calm. She circled the arena once to try it out, looking for the Snitch. It was some two hundred meters away from the Hufflepuff Seeker, but she hadn't noticed yet. The new Hufflepuff Seeker was nothing compared to Teddy. If it was him, he would have already made a move for it. She shook her head trying to clear it, she was not allowed to think about him anymore. If she did, her heart would burst.

Haley got the Quaffle and sorted a Bludger that Louis was chasing from the far end corner. She sped right past Charlie, who batted out the other Bludger preventing it from colliding with her. Haley looked like a bird in the sky as she came tantalizingly close to the Goal posts, the Hufflepuff Keeper offering no resistance whatsoever. She scored.

Victoire made a leap in the air as celebration and continued to locate the Snitch. She needed to wait before catching it, if her team didn't score six hundred points before she did so, then Hufflepuff was going to advance to the finale.

The game went on, Gryffindor was dominating the scoreboard, Hufflepuff seemed to have given up the chance to advance, and as Victoire was looking for the Snitch, Gryffindor made it to the six hundred points easily. She scanned the crowd and the arena with more urgency now, but the Snitch was nowhere to be found. She flew across it, and under the stands, and over the crowd. And then she glanced up at the Slytherin crowd. In a sea of green and silver she could barely distinguish Nott sitting with another blonde, whispering something in her ear.

"How quickly he moved on." she mumbled, the breeze carrying her voice to the nothingness. "So no Tatiana either? Who's this new girl?"

She kept staring at him, musing over their ended relationship. _Am I jealous?_ , Victoire asked herself. She was pained that he could dispose of her like that, without even bothering to excuse himself, or without a second glance at her crying pathetic form. But her heart was still in one piece. She never considered Nott to be her proper boyfriend, and he made perfectly clear since the beginning that falling in love with each other was forbidden.

And nevertheless, seeing him with another blonde so casually made her feel totally uncomfortable. Maybe because it had been less than two weeks since everything and he had acted with tenderness and passion whenever they were together.

"Victoire!" she heard Jessica's voice calling from the goalposts. Victoire turned to look at her and then seeing to where she was pointing. The Snitch was circling the Hufflepuff goalposts, annoying the Hufflepuff Keeper. Jessica's warning did not only alert Victoire, the Hufflepuff Seeker immediately sped towards it. Victoire charged, her confidence instantly lowering and her spine rattling from nervousness. What if she failed again?

But she had no time to even worry about it, before she knew it, she was already at the Hufflepuff goalpost, struggling with the Keeper and Seeker at the same time. As Victoire was trying to not get the Snitch out of her sight, the Hufflepuff Keeper kept outstretching his arms to prevent her from getting it, the Hufflepuff Seeker was flying around the mess, pulling at Victoire's robes and stretching her arms too, trying to lure it in with her fingers. At some point of the struggle, Victoire's broom slipped from beneath her, and she was desperately clinging to the other Seeker's broom: the struggle for the Snitch was the only thing maintaining her in the air.

"Let go!" the Seeker girl screeched, tumbling her own broom so that Victoire would fall down. But Victoire was undaunted, her arm still outstretched and her resolution set. When, moments later, she felt the cold metal fly right into her gloved hand, she felt her spirit letting go, her body limping and then falling.

"Accio broom!" she desperately called out, her wand in one hand, the Snitch in the other, as she saw the green grass coming nearer to her falling body. She heard the crowd gasping in unison, and just as she was about to crash into the ground once again, her broom came to her and she landed safely on her feet.

She had no time to even register what had happened, her teammates were instantly beside her, hugging her and kissing the Snitch that she still had clasped in her hand. _Teddy would be proud,_ she thought, and then she shook her head again, trying with all her might to stop thinking about him.

For the next couple weeks all conversation was about the miraculous safe Victoire had made at the Quidditch pitch. First years were reenacting the catch in the hallways and seventh years came up to her to congratulate her. Her happiness was starting to shape up, and she was glad that the cold winter weather was finally letting. March was running at a pretty fast pace, and the Easter holydays that were almost a month away weren't as scary as she thought at the end of Christmas. Maybe by that point she was going to be able to face Teddy without any complications. But she was still not able to open the letter he had sent her. After that letter he had made no further attempt at contacting her, so she was only left with that wrinkled envelope that she had stashed at the back of her night table.

"Can you believe that git?" Dominique gritted her teeth and slouched down beside Victoire at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.

"Who?" Victoire asked innocently.

"Are you not seeing this?" Dominique whispered, pointing resolutely with her chin.

Victoire glanced to where Dominique was pointing and with a wince she realised she was talking about Nott. He was openly kissing another blonde, it was the fourth in a month. _Was he doing this while he was with me?_ , she thought.

"We broke up, Dom." Victoire tried to say as casually as possible.

"No." Dominique frowned. "I get that. What I don't get is how can he just be over it so quickly!"

"I guess, what we had was not so serious after all." Victoire shrugged desperately trying to end the subject.

"Did he tell you that he loves you?" Dominique asked quite suddenly.

"No!" Victoire said quickly.

"You were with him for months!" Dominique exclaimed, attracting Louis's attention.

"With whom?" Louis asked, Charlie looking at their direction too.

"That's none of your business, little bro." Dominique said, dismissing him. "It's girl talk."

"You always say that!" Louis said, exasperated. "Why do you always leave me out."

"We don't leave you out, you are a boy!" Dominique retorted.

"You seem to include Charlie to everything and he's a boy too!" Louis countered. At his words Dominique reddened instantly. Did Louis was unaware of it? Charlie looked pointedly at his friend and opened his mouth to say something, but just as he was about to talk, Dominique stood up and with dark eyes she said:

"You're such a brute! This is why we don't talk to you!" and left the table.

"Dom!" Victoire called after her, but she sped towards the exit and didn't look back.

"Good job, mate." Victoire heard Charlie whispering to Louis and then he stood up too and went to follow Dominique.

"Are you really that daft?" Victoire asked Louis, her anger rising. "Can you read the situation?"

"What?" Louis spat. "That those two are dating?"

"Are they?" Victoire asked, confused. Was her sister hiding her relationship from her?

"Not yet…" Louis sighed. "They had been onto each other the whole year! It drives me mad. Charlie is suppose to be my friend and yet-"

"Are you throwing a tantrum?" Victoire interrupted, smiling to herself. As much as she loved her brother, she knew he could be a cry baby at times. He was younger than Dominique for 6 minutes and he sometimes took the role of the baby brother too at heart.

"I am not!" Louis whispered to her. "I'm just saying, why would Charlie want to go out with Dom?"

"Stop sulking already, and let them be happy." Victoire patted him on the back. "I bet you were the one that told Charlie to back off."

"I didn't!" Louis sighed again. "I did… But I just told him he was wasting his time. I felt bad about it afterward, it must have been hard telling me he fancies her."

"Oi, Louis, you are not suppose to be-" but Victoire's words were caught short when a piercing screech resonated in the Great Hall. All eyes turned to the Slytherin table, and a second blonde was pulling the hair out of Nott's new thing. Nott stood up from the table and walked towards the entrance, all eyes still glued to the two blondes almost wrestling on the floor. McGonagall was instantly at their sides, lifting them up with magic and her tranquil voice was reprimanding them and sending them to detention. Victoire watched as Nott stood by the door, scanning the crowd, and as his eyes were casted upon her, and he noticed she was looking at him, he scowled.

 _What's up with him?_ , Victoire thought, feeling her insides churning in an unpleasant way. Now that she had been away from him for some time, she recognised the constant movement of her insides as fear. Whenever he had touched her and whenever he had said that she'd like it, she was feeling afraid. But what terrified her the most was knowing that while she was staring at the face of fear itself her reaction of running away had been quickly overpowered. Instead she had stayed and sucked it up and she had even thought about the dangerous Nott as the safe Teddy in her mind, because that's where she wanted to be.

 _The only times I was not afraid was when he didn't push me_ , Victoire continued her musings, without noticing that Louis had started speaking again.

"Vic?" he asked after some moments.

"Sorry, what?" she asked.

"Do you know him?" Louis asked, eyeing Nott. "He looked at you as if-"

"We sometimes coincide at the Library, but I don't really…" Victoire said, reddening.

"But he looked as if…" Louis stopped himself from saying it, and instead changed the subject. "Do you think Dom and Charlie will end up together after this?"

"I don't think Dom's realise her feelings yet." Victoire said simply, glad with the change in subject.

The days lingered by in a monotonous way. She avoided the Library as much as possible, she had the nagging feeling that Nott was there, waiting for her, so she didn't go. She couldn't explain why she was so uninterested in him now that he had made perfectly clear he could easily get whomever he wanted. So she just concentrated on Quidditch and homework, she went from practice to class, and after it she went straight to the common room to do homework, and when she finished it, she just went to bed. Haley proved to be a slight distraction as she made Victoire stay awake for two straight nights talking about her first time. She and Steven had recently done it, and as Victoire had been the one to matched them up, Haley thought telling her about it was a good idea.

After that conversation Victoire started thinking about it more and more. Sex was intriguing to her now that she had experienced a little bit of that world. She had been dormant all these years, her sexual appetite diminished by the lack of opportunity, but as she heard Haley's expressions and excitement, she couldn't help wondered if refusing Nott had been a good idea. _I won't have another chance,_ she thought bitterly in the days that followed.

It was one of those days, a week before going home for the Easter holydays, that she was in class fantasising about sex. She was imagining herself being touched over her bra, fingers massaging her pussy, a large cock entering her slowly. Of course it was Teddy on her mind's eye, she tried to block him from her fantasies at first, but as she found it hard to imagine it with someone else, she just let it be. So that one day in class, she was completely dumbfounded, when in the middle of her fantasy, the same Ted Lupin entered the room followed by her Uncle Harry.

"Wha-" Victoire was about to ask out loud. But refrained herself noting that the room was full of her classmates and her teacher.

"Oh, Mr. Potter!" exclaimed Professor McCartney, a petite woman with grey hair that taught them Defense Against the Dark Arts. "I was expecting you next week."

"I'm sorry, Professor. I guess I mixed up the dates." said Harry, scratching his head. Teddy was right beside him, his eyes glued to the Professor's face.

"Oh, don't worry Mr. Potter. We can always swap up the lessons." she said easily, stretching Harry's hand. "Teddy! I'm glad you're coming out with Mr. Potter already! You were always a brilliant student." she said, stretching Teddy's hand too.

"Thank you." Teddy mumbled, blushing slightly.

"If it's not a problem, then shall we get started?" Harry said.

"Certainly." Professor McCartney said. "Class, this is Head Auror Harry Potter, you all must know him. He's come to give you a lesson about Unforgivable Curses and instruct you what to do in case you're under one of them. This _will_ come in the final exam, so I advice you to take ample notes on the subject."

"Thank you, Professor." said Harry, and then he directed his attention to the class. "Firstly I would like to explain this: The Unforgivable Curses are illegal without any exception, and the Ministry decided that level 6 of basic education is sufficient to comprehend the gravity of the situation, so please act accordingly and never ever attempt one."

The lesson continued as Harry demonstrated with real cases with photographs about the three Unforgivable Curses. The class was completely still as he talked, all the attention focused on him. But Victoire, having two Auror uncles, was already aware of the Unforgivable Curses since she was very small, so her attention was a bit more laxed. In fact, her thoughts immediately shifted to Teddy. She contemplated him in silence, looking out to every little movement he did, admiring his face and his body. He was different from when they attended Hogwarts together, his jaw had set and his eyes were wiser and more serious.

She followed him with her eyes as he talked about his own experience, as he assisted Harry with photographs and illustrations, as he read out loud from a book Harry had brought. She started to feel embarrassed and towards the end of the lesson, she was feeling hot. Her mind had wandered to sex fantasyland again, and having Teddy right there in the room with her had made her wondered how would he really be in bed. The room felt oppressing and hot and uncomfortable.

So as the bell rang and everybody was leaving their seats, Victoire shot out from the room in search for a bit of fresh air. She gulped down as much as she could and calmed herself in the hallway. She watched as the throng of students passed by her.

"Are you alright?" Haley asked when she came out of the classroom and saw her friend resting her back on the wall.

"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?" Victoire asked with an innocent smile.

"You bolted out of there, I can only guess why…" Haley said with a conspiratory wink.

"I'm fine. Don't worry."

"Are you coming down to dinner?"

"I'll be right there, I'll just say goodbye to Uncle Harry." Victoire said without thinking.

"Alright." Haley said, squeezing Victoire's hand. "I'll see you down."

Victoire stood there in the hallway for some minutes, fidgeting and wondering what would she say to Teddy. Would he talk to her? Was he still mad? Had she ruined their friendship forever? As minutes passed, she was getting more nervous, until finally Teddy, Professor McCartney and Harry came out of the room. Harry came up to her and hugged her, telling Professor McCartney how Victoire was her favorite niece and how she was incredibly talented at Quidditch.

"Yes, I've seen so myself!" Professor McCartney said, remembering Victoire's safe at the Hufflepuff/Gryffindor game. Teddy looked at Victoire and smiled shyly. "She's a great student too."

"A true Weasley." Harry said proudly. He hugged her again. "I'll see you at home, Vicky."

Harry and Professor McCartney began walking out of there, but Teddy lingered behind. Victoire and Teddy stood there for some seconds, equally at a loss for words, and then Teddy called out to Harry.

"I'll see you at the Entrance Hall in a minute."

Harry just waved at him, and then resumed his conversation about his recent case with Professor McCartney. They rounded a corner and were quickly out of sight.

"Dom told me about your miraculous safe at the last game." Teddy said casually, his eyes to the floor.

"Yes. I'm pretty awesome." Victoire said nervously, she desperately tried to make a joke, and seeing Teddy still looking to the floor, she laughed pathetically.

"Always so modest." Teddy just mumbled.

"Well, it's one of my many qualities." Victoire said, scratching her scalp and feeling embarrassed by the uncomfortable situation.

"I'm the best intern in the Auror office." Teddy blurted out, and then he blushed slightly.

"So modest." Victoire replied and laughed. Teddy laughed too. "But I'm not surprised, you were always best at studying."

"And at Quidditch!" Teddy laughed more openly.

"Excuse you!" Victoire said crossing her arms above her chest and feigning being offended. " _I_ am the hero of the Gryffindor team at the moment."

"I wish I could have seen it." Teddy said, scratching the back of his neck, his eyes casted down.

"You should come to the next game…" Victoire started, and then she figured she could throw in there a little peace offering, and said: "you should bring your girlfriend, too."

Teddy's eyes shot up to her face, he scanned her for some moments and then cluelessly asked: "What girlfriend?"

Victoire's heart hammered hard, she was taken aback by his response and she too scanned his face, trying to find a sign that he was lying. Her mother had seen him, he surely was lying to her right then. But Teddy was not a liar, and she became instantly confused.

"Mamma told us." Victoire stated, feeling her face burning up. "She saw you kissing a girl at the Leaky Cauldron."

"Me?" Teddy asked, frowning. "I don't have a girlfriend. I don't know what Fleur saw, but I wasn't… Wait, when was this?"

"I don't know, about a month ago?"

Teddy laughed out loud and then crossed his arms over his chest, scratching his side in a nervous manner. "She's not my girlfriend."

"So you were kissing somebody." Victoire said as casually as possible. Her heart was contracting in a painful way and she was struggling in maintaining her stance.

"Sort of-We were at the Leaky Cauldron playing a drinking game with a bunch of other Aurors, and someone dared her to kiss a bloke or drink."

"And she chose you." Victoire said a little more bitterly than what she wanted.

"She chose me because she knew I was not into her. Everyone else was trying to get under her skirt, and I was just there minding my own bussiness."

"So there's nothing going on between you?" Victoire asked, trying to sound friendly instead of relieved.

"No- did you...read my letter?"

"What?"

"My letter. Did you read it?"

"Er- I… I thought you were still mad, so I didn't…" Victoire lied, avoiding his eyes.

"Then don't read it." Teddy said. "Just throw it away or whatever. But don't read it."

"Why not?" she asked. "Did you wrote awful things?"

"No-just don't read it please. It's not important anymore. Everything is forgotten now, so it should be ok." Teddy clasped Victoire's shoulder, and smiled at her. "I'll see you at the Burrow in a week, anyway."

"But-" Victoire tried to protest, but Teddy hugged her and then ruffled her hair.

"I'll see you, Vicky." he said, teasing her with that horrid pet name. And then he ran out to meet up with Harry.

She congratulated herself at first for having a normal conversation with Teddy again. She knew things were on the right track to becoming uncommonly good, and she loved it. She could get her Teddy back, just as things were suppose to be. But as the day run along she started to feel anxious about what he had said. At first it was just a nagging feeling sipping through her happiness, but by the time she arrived at her dorm after practice, she couldn't think about anything else.

She changed her clothes, got under the covers in her four-poster, and waited for Haley to stop chatting about Quidditch strategies and fall asleep. Just then she dared to take out the envelope, and in the darkness, with the sublime light from the tip of her wand, she read it.

 _Victoire,_

 _Are you still mad? After almost two months of not talking to you and fooling myself into trying to hate you for what we said at Christmas, I finally realised I can't. I can't hate you, I'll never be able to do it. And to tell you the truth, I also realised that I acted like a total tool. And for that I'm sorry. You are free to date whomever you want, even if that prat turns out to be a womanizer and a total player and a pain in the ass. I'm sorry, I'm getting judgy again. I was at fault since the very beginning for actually suggesting this ridiculous game, and for not realising sooner how much it will hurt me._

 _Oh, Victoire, I know I should tell you, and more so now that you have found someone and that the only heart that seems to be breaking is mine, but I am afraid. Yes, I, Teddy Lupin, former Head Boy, Quidditch extraordinaire, top Auror in training, am afraid. We've been friends for so long, and maybe this seems impossible for you, but I am even more afraid that if I don't explain myself our friendship would be irredeemable. Or maybe I just can't keep it in any longer._

 _The reason why I made a scene and gave you a hard time about it is because I care about you. I know that I have been saying that since the beginning, but I lied to you when I said I cared about you as a little sister. Maybe I care about you as more than that. Maybe as more than friends. Maybe I have fallen in love with you without meaning to._

 _I'm sorry, I'm lying again. It's not a maybe. It's certain. I have fallen in love with you without a doubt. I know that we're like brother and sister and that falling in love was never a possibility, but it's happened and if you are not so repulsed by the idea and are willing to forgive me, please write to me. We can resume our friendship and everything could just go back to normal._

 _Teddy._


	12. Broomshed

**A/N: Hello, my dear readers. I hope you're all loving this story as much as I am. I needed to clarify something in this chapter, I went back to the other chapters while writing this and I realised I made some mistakes in my past chapters regarding continuity. I accidentally changed some names and I said in chapter 10 that the Gryffindor team was suppose to beat Ravenclaw when in fact they went against Hufflepuff. Sorry! The mistakes have been corrected as I uploaded the chapters again. If you happen to see any mistake like that again please don't hesitate in letting me know, and I'll be extremely thankful and I'll correct them immediately. Thank you all! And enjoy :)**

12\. Broomshed

The first thing that Dominique pronounced on the Easter breakfast was so completely unbelievable that her father almost knocked over the casserole Fleur was setting on the table. Everybody turned their eyes towards Dominique, and Louis scowled and directed a nasty look towards her sister.

"Come again?" Bill asked, looking from Dominique to Victoire to his wife, as if expecting it all to be some elaborate Easter ruse.

"I have a boyfriend." Dominique said in a quieter voice. Fleur cleared her throat and sat down beside Bill, passing him the pumpkin juice. Bill was so entranced by what his second daughter had just said that he was completely oblivious to his wife's attentions.

"A boyfriend?" Bill asked.

"Yes, Papa, she said so." Victoire intervened, for it was starting to become ridiculous.

"Do-do I know…?" Bill asked, still in a shocked state.

"Mon chérie, use your words, please. You're incoherent." Fleur said, serving him a glass of pumpkin juice herself.

"Yes." Bill tried to gather his thoughts. "Who is he?"

"It's Charlie, Papa!" Louis said, exasperated from the conversation. "She's dating my friend Charlie."

"Charlie? Charlie-Charlie?" he asked, confused.

"Yes, Papa. Charlie Johnson." Victoire tried to help her sister.

"Well, how did it happen?"

"Is it important?" Dominique asked, feeling embarrassed, her red face matching her red hair. "I communicated the news, that ought to be enough."

Bill gave a hearty laugh and then he said: "That's absolutely not enough."

"Mamma!" Dominique cried, trying to avoid her father's scrutiny.

"Oh, mon chou, as much as I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, I think you should explain this to us."

"There's nothing to explain-"

"Lou, is Charlie coming this summer?" Bill asked Louis in a conspiratory manner. "I think I need to have a chat with him."

"Oh, Merlin!" Dominique exclaimed, covering her face. "Just kill me now."

"What?" Bill asked cluelessly. "I have to have a chat with my youngest daughter's boyfriend! I need to threaten him a bit and-"

"Bill!" Fleur exclaimed.

"This is ridiculous!" Louis exclaim. "Are you telling me that you're ok with this?"

"Why wouldn't they be?!" Dominique questioned him. "He's a nice bloke and-"

"We haven't determined that yet!" Bill said. "Any boyfriend you two may have in the future -I hope in the far future- needs to be evaluated and his behavior checked and-!"

"Papa!" both girls exclaimed at the same time.

"That's enough, Bill." Fleur said, a nasty look on her face. "Dominique, you have our support. But having a boyfriend is distracting and we want you to make the best decision available. Your father and I think boyfriends should come after Hogwarts, and you have to understand if your father wants to make sure he won't distract you and he will take care of you."

"I understand that, that's why I told you about it, I could have just dated him in secret and-"

"Don't ever think about it!" Bill exclaimed.

"I'm just saying…"

Bill looked to his two daughters and with a crazy look in his eyes, one that was exaggerated by the scars on his face, he said: "If I ever found out that you've been dating some bloke in secret, and that he so much as touches a hair, I will murder them in their sleep. Two of my brothers are Aurors so see if I can't get away with it."

"You are tremendously crazy." Victoire said.

"I mean it, Victoire." Bill said, seriousness in his face. "It doesn't matter who he is, he must come and talk to me. Even if he is…"

"He is what?" Victoire asked innocently.

"Nothing." Bill snapped. "Just make sure he comes and talk to me."

"Yes, Papa." Victoire chanted.

"Very well handled." Fleur said under her breath, rolling her eyes.

For the rest of Easter breakfast, everybody ate with as little talk as possible, the air was tensioning, and even though the girls knew her father would accept any bloke they choose, he was extremely serious and that made them nervous. Fleur refused to talk to Bill for the upcoming hours, and Louis didn't so much as looked at his sisters. By the time they all went to dinner at the Burrow, the tension had become intolerable.

Molly hugged them all with bone-crushing force the minute they came out of the chimney. She especially squeezed her eldest son, and then she asked him to cut his hair because it was getting too long.

"Thanks, Mum." Bill said, blushing slightly in front of his wife and kids. "I'll ask Hermione to cut it out later."

That seemed to break a little the tension between them, as Fleur laughed and then flattened her husband's hair affectionately.

"Mon loup, I've always liked your hair longer." she said, and snuggled into his arms.

Victoire watched the scene with curiosity. Her parents were always affectionate with each other, and it hit her at that moment that she craved that kind of love. Right after reading Teddy's letter she was shocked, she stayed awake for the whole night, giggling and imagining them becoming boyfriend and girlfriend, she wanted the kind of love in which you could flatten your lover's hair and called him by a ridiculous pet name.

"Grandmum," Victoire called to Molly, they walked together to the kitchen, where dinner was still being cooked and the whole kitchen was replete with utensils flying about. "has Teddy come?"

"Not yet, my love." she said to her. "Harry and Ginny were bringing him along, and I'm afraid they're running late."

The clock on top of the counter had the "Potters" hand at late, while every other hand was fixed at the Burrow. Victoire was starting to feel butterflies exploding in her stomach, she kept pacing between the kitchen, trying to help Molly, and the living room, watching the fireplace.

"Victoire, come and help me with this." Molly said, getting a large tray into the oven. "I need to get the gravy!"

Victoire held the heavy tray while Molly looked for the gravy in the many bowls she had flying about. Her arms were rapidly getting tired, and she wished she could just use magic to lift it. Her month-away birthday be damned. She contemplated the fact that the mark was not going to be effective with so many witches and wizards in the house, but her wand was still safely tucked in her cardigan's pocket.

"Err-grandmum…" she said, her voice stif. "Could you hurry up?"

"Yes, dear." Molly was cutting some vegetables and getting some ingredients into a pot. "I just realised I didn't do the gravy."

"What?" Victoire asked exasperated. "Then can I put this down?"

"I'll help you with that." Teddy's voice came to her like a bucket of ice water. She automatically turned to look at the clock instead of at Teddy, just to make sure he was really there. The clock indeed showed the Potters were at the Burrow. And then feeling a blush creep to her face she slowly turned to him. He had his characteristic blue hair and his boyish grin and was struggling with the large tray so they could set it on the counter.

"Hold on." he said, and got his wand out. "Locomotor." The tray lifted itself from Victoire's hands and went to rest on the counter on its own.

"Oh, thank you, dear." Molly said, casting the pot with the gravy aside and hugging Teddy in a bone-crushing manner. "I have to go and scowl Harry, you're so late, dinner is almost ready!"

Teddy laughed out loud and hugged her back, his white teeth flashing and a radiant smile making its way to his face and into Victoire's heart. She was heart struck again, just as so many times before, by Teddy's coolness.

"I think you kids have helped me enough. We just need to wait for dinner to get out of the oven. Why don't you go play?" Molly said sweetly.

"Sure thing, Molly." Teddy smiled at her again and grabbed Victoire's hand. She tried not to melt at his easiness and followed along, her fingers limping for she was afraid to take Teddy's hand too. What would he think if she did? Did she really wanted to let him know she was in love with him too? He had said he wanted to return to normal, and that normal was Teddy and Victoire as siblings, maybe he had gotten over his feelings already? He sent that letter in February and it was already the middle of April! She nagged at herself for not reading the letter on time.

"What age does she think we are?" Teddy asked her, dragging her to the empty living room. He then flopped on the couch, and motioned for her to do the same.

"I bet she still thinks we're twelve." Victoire laughed, sitting down beside him.

"I guess we're always going to be her precious grandchildren."

"Well," Victoire mused, getting a finger on her chin. "we're the eldest, so I guess is natural to still think that. Plus, I'm still not of age."

"Oh, right, you still have a month to go." Teddy said, scratching his head. "You'll be able to drink alcohol and go clubbing… with permission now."

"Ugh," Victoire said, blushing slightly, recollecting her only clubbing experience with embarrassment. "let's not make it like last time, I made a fool out of myself. It was the first time I drank alcohol."

"Yes. I remember." Teddy said, solemnly and then he turned his gaze to Victoire and he laughed a hearty laugh. "My friend Jordan was all over you and you were kissing everybody."

"Oh, right!" Victoire said, blushing even more. "Whatever happened to Jordan? I didn't hear from him after that."

"You want to hear from him?" Teddy asked, his eyebrow raised. "I told him not to go near you again, he was more than willing to take advantage of you that night, he was talking about what he would do to you at his flat, and I wouldn't permit it."

"Oi, I'm a big girl, I could've taken care of that." Victoire said, but she was unsure of her words. After all, the Nott affair had not happened too long ago, and she definitely didn't take care of that.

"I know." Teddy sighed. "I was just worried about you. And I stopped talking to Jordan because of that. Last time I checked he was still living in London and working at the Ministry."

"How boring of Jordan, I thought he might've gone Professional."

"That wanker? No Quidditch team would've recruited him." Teddy said, with a laugh. He turned then his face to Victoire's and he frowned. "Don't ask about him anymore."

"What? Are you jealous?" Victoire teased, but she immediately regretted it. Of course he was jealous, and she was doing it on purpose, she wanted to check if he was still in love with her. And then it hit her: she was afraid she was too late.

"Not particularly." Teddy rebutted with a laugh. "I'm afraid you might have taken a knack for the dangerous."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because of…" Teddy let his sentence hung unspoken. She could see his mind working hard, trying to figure out what exactly to say next. Victoire felt a heavy pang in her stomach, as she realised he was thinking about Nott. What would Teddy do if he knew Nott was no longer in the picture? Was he holding back because of that?

"Because of what?" Victoire tried to sound as casual as possible.

"You know." Teddy said, his blue hair turning a nasty green in a second. "Because of Nott. He's the epitome of danger."

"He's just not really friendly towards people." she said, shrugging.

"Is he friendly towards you?" he asked, suddenly serious. "I mean...he must be as you two…"

"Yeah, he was, sometimes." Victoire said, her face blushing furiously. Why was she so embarrassed? And why couldn't she just tell him the truth?

"He was…?" Teddy asked, his eyebrow raised again, and his hair turning back to blue.

But before Victoire could answer and spill the truth about her breakup, they were interrupted by Ginny, that informed them that Molly was about to go ballistic if they didn't show up to dinner at the garden. Teddy and Victoire stood up at once and went with Ginny. Molly's wrath was enough to put love thoughts at the back of their minds.

Dinner was a curious affair. Of course their awkwardness was noted by the rest of the family, and Bill's comments only increased the sense of uncomfortableness in the air.

"That's a rare sight nowadays." Bill said, during the soup. "It's been awhile since I've seen you sitting together."

"Bill!" Fleur said in a mad whisper, pinching her husband's arm.

"What?"

"I'm sure it's due to Teddy's training." Harry intervened. "He hasn't had enough time to play, lately."

"I made sure of that." Ron said with a laugh. "Practice all week and rounds during the weekend. That's how you make a great Auror."

"What? Not even weekends off? And you want _me_ to become an Auror?" Rose exclaimed. Albus snickered, and the adults laughed.

"Did you have a fight?" James asked Victoire and Teddy. "Teddy was always complaining about Victoire at our house late-"

"James Potter!" Ginny exclaimed, throwing him a piece of bread from the other end of the table. "You better eat your vegetables, young man!"

"I am!" James said, showing her mother a spoonful of vegetables.

Victoire looked at Teddy, he just kept eating his soup, unfaced by James's accusations. If he was embarrassed, he didn't show it, and Victoire decided what James said was simply untrue. She didn't dare ask him herself and their situation was getting weirder by the second, that was not how friendships were suppose to feel like. She decided then, that she was going to tell him everything the minute they were alone.

With James's mouth shut by his mother, and Bill's by his wife, the conversation gradually shifted to work related stuff and then to how Hogwarts was going and eventually they found out about Dominique's new boyfriend. Her painfully flustered face was enough to drive any enquiries away from Victoire's and Teddy's situation, but it also introduced a weird topic which made the adults disagree. Ron said Rose wouldn't be allowed to date until he died of old age (at which Rose made an exasperated sound), but Harry and Percy said that as long as their daughters found a nice bloke and introduced it to the family, everything was fine. Then Charlie said he used to have a whole lot of girlfriends back in Hogwarts and that he didn't want any of that for his dear nieces. Ginny put her foot down and said that Charlie was a pig, and then George simply turned to Fred Jr. and said that next year that they would begin Hogwarts he should be alert to all suitors Roxy may have, that as the eldest twin he had the responsibility to take care of his sister.

The conversation went back and forth like that for the rest of the meal, and right after Victoire had finished her pudding, Teddy said in a loud voice:

"Let's play Quidditch!"

Every kid in the room instantly stood up from their chairs as they were all fed up with the conversation. The first to bolt was Dominique, closely followed by Rose. And as they all made their way towards the meadow right outside the Burrow, Ron, Bill, Charlie, Ginny and Harry had made their way towards the improvised field to play too. They formed two teams and then they mounted their brooms, Victoire and Teddy stood at different teams, but they prefered it that way, as they have always been rivals at the field.

The game progressed at a mad pace. As most of the players had been Seekers in the past, their ability to play in other positions was unremarkable, and therefore, they made fouls and lost the Quaffle and the Bludgers quite easily. They made poor improvised players, but it was hilarious. At the end of two hours, Victoire's team had claimed victory as she clasped the Snitch between her fingers. The opposing team grunted because it was a tradition that whichever team lost, was in charge of cleaning the Burrow.

As Harry and the rest of Teddy's team quickly bolted from the scene and ran to hide and avoid cleaning, Victoire descended from the air, and saw Teddy gathering up the balls and brooms.

"Oi, Lupin!" James called from the house. "You better get all those brooms back to the shed, or I'll tell grandmum."

"Sod off, James!" Victoire called, and started picking brooms too.

"You can go and relax in the house." Teddy said, smiling tenderly at Victoire. "You won after all."

"I'll help you." Victoire said, desperately trying to be alone with him. "It's easier this way."

They started picking up brooms and balls again in silence. When they had collected them all Teddy said:

"What's up with him?" pointing towards Louis's form plopped up in a garden chair, watching them with a defeated face. "He was in your team, he should be rubbing it in Dominique's face."

"I think he's still upset about Dominique and Charlie." Victoire said shrugging. She walked towards Teddy and together they went to the secluded broomshed. "I don't get why, though. He should be happy for Dominique."

"I think it's because Charlie is his best friend." Teddy said solemnly. "Best friends are not suppose to date sisters, you know. He must be feeling betrayed, and he must be afraid for Dominique, after all, he knows Charlie's preferences and they must have discussed sex and he's well aware what is in wait for his sister."

"Do blokes actually talk about that?" Victoire said, surprised.

"Well, of course. We spent an awful amount of time together and we share a room for most of our adolescent years, and I don't want to tell you what actually happens in a dorm…" Teddy said, laughing.

"Oh, that's disgusting!" Victoire exclaimed, punching him playfully on the shoulder. "You guys are pigs!"

Teddy laughed out loud, his teeth showing, and his hair a wonderful blue. He was happy.

"I won't get into specifics, Vic. But I bet all that is playing in Louis's head right now." he said, solemnly.

"He'll just have to deal with it." Victoire said, opening the broomshed door for him.

"Yes." Teddy said, stepping into it and letting all the brooms and balls fall down to the floor. The broomshed was a spacious place, it was almost a two by two meter dark room, and the Burrow had almost a museum of old brooms lying bout. Arthur liked to keep them organised by year, but he kept getting confused so the brooms were just perched without any order. "But we have to let him sulk for a while."

Victoire's heart was hammering madly as the door closed behind her. They were instantly submerged in darkness, and then Teddy ignited the tip of his wand so he could see where to perch the brooms and where to stash the balls. Victoire could just discern his profile in the dim light, his hair was a comical shade of purple, and then lavender, and then a mixture of pink and purple, and then baby pink, turning bubblegum dangerously. She liked to see as his colors changed, she was entranced by it, and she wanted to run a hand over it. She imagined her fingers intertwined with his hair, and then fisting it, pulling it. She was imagining sex with Teddy again without realising it, and she yelped from embarrassment. Teddy turned to look at her face.

"Why are you so red?" he asked, his face burning too.

"It's nothing." she mumbled. She walked towards Teddy in the dim light, and tried to smile casually. "I'll help you with this."

"No, it's fine. It's really messy over here." brooms were cluttering the floor and the darkness was overpowering, Teddy was measuring his steps not to trip and knew Victoire was bound to do so.

"I think I got it-" and right on cue, she tripped. Teddy held her by the arm, preventing her from falling all the way to the floor, his hand was firmly pressed to her waist, and she could hear his heartbeat hammering as badly as hers. Teddy's wand had slipped his hand and was on the floor by the brooms, casting weird shadows to the wall, but leaving them in complete darkness. He could feel Victoire's breath on his collarbone, and she could perfectly feel the warmth emanating from his body. They were centimeters apart and Victoire wanted to close the space between them and hug him.

"Are you alright?" Teddy whispered, sending a shiver down Victoire's back.

"Yes." Victoire's voice was quivering. She was not shaken by her almost falling down, instead, she was nervous for their proximity and for the words she was about to utter.

"Good." Teddy said, letting go of her waist. "Don't step over there. Are you on your feet? Let me get my wand."

"Wait!" Victoire exclaimed, grabbing Teddy's arm. Victoire's sight was getting use to the darkness and now she could discern Teddy's features and his silhouette. She wanted to say it before the privacy of the darkness was lifted away. Teddy remained where he was, holding Victoire's arm and standing deliciously close to her.

"I need to tell you something." Victoire's words were quiet and measured.

"What is it?" he asked, apprehension in his voice.

"Nott and I are…"

"Yes?"

"We're not together anymore." she blurted. Teddy stood there, silent and thoughtful. Victoire didn't know what she was expecting would happen, but that was not it. She had to say something else for things to change. "We haven't spoken with each other since February."

"How come?" Teddy asked. His voice was shaky and Victoire suspected he was nervous too.

"He ended things because…"

"He broke up with you?" Teddy's voice then turned taciturn, his grip on Victoire's arm loosing a bit.

"Yes, but because…"

"You must have been heart broken…" Teddy whispered quietly.

"No!" Victoire exclaimed a little more forcefully than what she had intended. "That's what I'm trying to say!"

"I don't understand."

"He broke up with me because I was not over someone."

"What?" Teddy asked, genuinely confused. "You fancied another bloke?"

"Yes!"

"Oh… I see."

"No! You don't get it, do you?" Victoire asked desperately.

"No, not really. You fancied someone else or not?"

"Merlin! Why is this so hard to say? I should've written a letter like you!" Victoire exclaimed.

"What?" Teddy asked surprised.

"I read you stupid letter!" Victoire said, grabbing Teddy by his shirt and closing the space between them, hugging him. Victoire could hear his heart beating rapidly and his body stiffen. "I read your letter…"

"I told you not to…" Teddy said, closing his arms around her. "You must have hated me…"

"No!" Victoire turned her head to look at him. He was gazing towards the dim light that his wand was still emanating. She could discern now that his hair had turned white. Was he scared? "Why are you so damn thick?"

"You read my letter and you fancied some other bloke and we've been like siblings for the past twelve years and-"

"It's you." Victoire said, interrupting him. "It has always been you, I have always been in love with you and you have always looked at me like a little girl!"

Victoire hugged him again, unable to look at him properly to his face now that the darkness was no longer invading her eyes. She saw his incredulous face right before she buried her face on his chest.

"Nott broke up with me because I couldn't forget you, and I complied to your stupid dare because I wanted to forget you, I wanted to move on because you never even looked at me!"

"You've always…" Teddy mumbled. He tightened his arms around her and squeezed her. "You told me, and I thought you were just drunk."

"What?" Victoire turned to look at him, her eyes big and round. But Teddy didn't respond, he laughed, and leaned down brushing Victoire's lips with his. A million butterflies exploded inside her belly, her heart was jumping out her throat, and her thoughts were incredulous. Teddy Lupin just kissed her.

"You told me that night at the club that you loved me, and then you kissed me, and I thought you were just drunk."

"I did?" Victoire asked mortified.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you. I was in love with you even then, and I hadn't realised it yet." Teddy said, his hair becoming a shocking shade of bubblegum pink. He leaned down again, and this time Victoire was prepared, she met him halfway, his lips tenderly introducing themselves in Victoire's. They kissed slowly, the rhythm completely in peace, their mouths getting used to the idea. And just as their happiness was flowing into their pores and eyes, Victoire introduced her tongue in his mouth, and he deepened the kiss, lifting her from her feet and sucking her bottom lip. They kissed for what seemed forever, moving in a way they were not used to, but discovering a new way of loving and a new manner of being together.

After some minutes they separated and decided to get back to the house, they had been in the broomshed for almost half an hour, and they were sure people would start wondering where they were.

"I don't want to go back." Victoire said as Teddy opened the door, their hands clasped, the brooms forgotten on the floor. "I want to keep kissing you."

"You will." he said, smiling cheekily. "I'll come to you, and we can kiss some more then."

Victoire smiled at him and let go of his hand, her face was a delicate shade of red and her stomach was still somersaulting. "Is that a promise, Ted Lupin?"

Teddy looked over at the house, but no eyes seemed to be watching. He leaned forward and kissed her once more rapidly on the lips, and then he said: "It's a promise, Victoire Weasley."


	13. Falling

**A/N: Hello! I'm sorry it's taken me ages to update. Finals were a nightmare. I have a little more time now, so hopefully updates will flow more rapidly. Thanks for sticking with this story! Please review and tell me what you think! :)**

13\. Falling

The moment Teddy Lupin Apparated at Hogsmeade his ear-splitting grin covered his whole face. The air was warm and it smelled like freshly cut grass. He still had his Auror robes on from his shift the night before, Ron had finally taken him out to some low-profile case in which some kids had enlarged an elderly witch's arms and was at St. Mungo's getting her testimony until the wee hours of the morning. After all the paperwork and the arrests made to the young wizards, Ron had finally let him go well past sunrise and he Apparated directly.

He still had about an hour before Victoire came down from the Castle, so he went in the Three Broomsticks and sat down at the bar. It was deserted and it smelled like cleaning supplies. Madam Rosmerta was behind the bar, cleaning some mugs and glasses. She looked at him with annoyance and upon seeing his face and his blue hair, she smiled.

"Teddy Lupin." she said, eyeing him from head to toe. "I always knew you'd take on after Harry and become an Auror."

"Hello, Madam Rosmerta." he said, his face feeling a little too hot and sitting down at the bar in front of her.

"What brings you all the way here? Did you come after your shift?" she asked, tucking a long strand of greying hair behind her ear. She had delicate fingers, and boney knuckles, the wrinkles in her eyes accentuating because of the bright smile she was showing him.

"Yes, madam. I came to see someone." he said, his grin stealing its way to his face again. He couldn't help it.

"A girl, is it not?" Madam Rosmerta said, knowingly. She smiled cheekily at him and served him a warm Butterbeer in the mug she had just cleaned. "Is she your girlfriend?"

"No-" Teddy stammered. Was she his girlfriend? "She's a friend."

"Right, a friend…" Madam Rosmerta said, cleaning another mug. "You don't usually come at 8 in the morning to see a _friend_ , my dear."

"It's complicated." he mumbled. Madam Rosmerta went ahead to the back to make sure everything was in order for opening up, and told Teddy he could stay as long as he wanted. Teddy was left with his own thoughts for some time. The fact that he had kissed Victoire just a week before was starting to weigh in in his head. He still could feel that adrenaline rush when his lips first brushed hers. She was so vulnerable and raw in his arms, his own self feeling just as vulnerable. But it had been so much like a dream he was starting to fear it may have in fact been just that: a dream.

He had sent her a letter two days before. He had not mentioned their kisses or the fact that they had confessed their feelings in that broomshed, he had just wrote as if they still were good friends. He had not received a reply. _I came to see her anyway_ , he thought, the promise he made still clinging in his ears. Was that really all a dream?

If it was not he had a bigger issue at hand. Bill Weasley was going to assassinate him. He needed to talk to him before anything else, because being close to Victoire was going to be a challenge. He didn't trust himself enough, he wanted to jump over her and take her clothes off and kiss her everywhere, now that his feelings were acknowledged and corresponded propriety be damned, he wanted her, all of her.

He ran his hands through his hair. What was he to do then? Victoire was a dangerous place to be, and he was not sure he was exactly ready to be submerged in her. If something went wrong, then he was not going to be able to repair it. Was he taking a loosing risk in all of this?

He continued with his musings for some time, drinking his Butterbeer and wishing he had thought about all of this before kissing her. Because he had to do something about it now that it had happened, but still he had no clue what. He just had two things clear in his mind: the first one was that he wanted her, that much was clear, he had wanted her for as long as he could remember, he just hadn't noticed before. The other one was that he didn't want to lose her, as much as it pained him, he would rather stay as friends than mess it up.

"You'll get wrinkly if you keep frowning like that." he heard Victoire's voice behind him. He spun around on his stool, his face instantly lighting up. Dominique was clinging to her sister's arm, a grumpy face stamped all over her features.

"I'm sorry, I totally lost track of time." he said, feeling slightly guilty. He had wanted to fetch her from the Castle like a real date.

"Hello to you too, Ted." Dominique said even grumpier than before. Victoire giggled, and it made Teddy's heart flutter in an unexpected way.

"What's gotten into you? Problems with your new _boyfriend_?" Teddy teased her.

"No!" Dominique exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "More like problems with my old brother."

"I don't think that old brother of yours is going away anytime soon." Teddy laughed, suddenly feeling light hearted.

"Tell me about it." she said, rolling her eyes again. "I mean, it's natural, is it not? To kiss when you're in a relationship."

"Well...I guess."

"Don't hesitate like that!" Victoire intervened. "She'll think Louis is right in scolding her!"

"What happened exactly?" Teddy said. He looked over at Victoire's arm, she had a short-sleeved t-shirt on, and he could perfectly discern her delicate golden hairs in her forearm. His hand was dying to spring up and caress them.

"He kissed me in the common room." Dominique started, her face instantly reddening. "It wasn't that improper, it was just…"

"It was not improper at all!" Victoire exclaimed. "It was more on the chaste spectrum of the scale, and Louis just freaked out."

Teddy laughed again, his bark-like laugh resonating in the now packed pub. Seeing the girls talk in such a natural way, was making his worries go away. How could he ever doubt that things with Victoire wouldn't turn out fine? She was his home in so many ways, it was scary how long it had taken him to realised it.

"You have to give him time." Teddy said casually. "It's your first boyfriend after all. But let's make sure the kisses remain in the chaste spectrum, alright-y?"

"What?" Dominique flung her hands to her face in an attempt to cover it. "You too?"

"Sorry, Dom." Teddy shrugged, patting her head. "That's what you get for having a nosy brother and a protective friend."

Victoire looked at him with wonder in her eyes. She had something to say, and yet she remained quiet about it while Dominique was still clinging to her arm. Dominique was oblivious to the looks her sister was sending Teddy and was even more unaware of the way Teddy kept checking Victoire out. They had started this dancing of the eyes, where both of them looked away whenever their glances caught. Victoire had acquired a soft blush on her cheeks, and as Dominique continued rambling about Louis and Charlie and how annoyed she was with the men in her family, Teddy's hair started changing color on its own accord. He felt it purple, dangerously coming to the pink hues, before he shook his head and turned it back to blue.

"Dom," Teddy said, standing up from the stool and towering over her. He grabbed her shoulder and led them both to the exit of the pub. He had Dominique under his arm, Victoire lagging behind. "don't mind Louis so much, he'll get around it. Just have fun, will you?"

"But Louis…" Dominique lowered her eyes. The sun was bright and crispy, but Dominique's expression was still somber.

"Do you love him?" Teddy asked curtly. Dominique turned her face to him, she had clear blue eyes and an honest stare. Of course she loved him, but she was not going to say it out loud to anyone else.

"If you love him, just bear it for a little longer." Teddy knowingly said, squeezing her shoulder. "Lou will come around, you just have to enjoy it."

"I guess so…" Dominique said, but smiled. "I'll better go and find him."

She hugged Teddy just as you would a huge teddy bear and skipped away towards the Castle. Victoire and Teddy watched as Dominique's silhouette became smaller and smaller under the bright sun, and when she had finally disappeared completely, Victoire's arm brushed his, sending electric shocks to his spine. The square was replete with Hogwarts students, he could discern a bunch of Slytherins hanging about Honeyduke's and walking towards them, a group of Ravenclaw girls were chattering loudly just a few meters away from them, Gryffindors were walking about the stores, Teddy was feeling embarrassed: he knew most of these kids, he had been a role model to many of them, and even addressing Victoire in public now was an act of vulnerability.

"Want to take a walk?" she asked in a quiet voice. Teddy stole a glance at her face, she was pink and looking at her feet. _Is she as nervous as I am?_ , Teddy thought. He said yes and they started walking stiffly to the Lake. They entered the Forest, she started skipping on the stones and jumping over logs. Teddy smiled with content, falling into a leisure pace behind her, watching her white-blonde hair swinging in the light breeze, imagining her naked back underneath her t-shirt. He remembered from their days at the beach that she had freckles over her shoulders, spilling all the way down to her shoulder blades. How could he had seen her in a bikini for the last 12 years and not realised he desired her. He had pretended not to see as her breasts swelled up and rounded. In the last months he had imagined himself touching her and seeing her breasts inside his palms, but he knew that in the real world he wouldn't dare to. _Am I a coward or a gentleman?_ , Teddy thought.

"Why did you say Dominique was your friend?" Victoire asked, balancing over a large rock, her back to him. Teddy was taken aback by her voice.

"What do you mean?" Teddy asked. "We _are_ friends."

"Oh, no. That's not what…" Victoire turned to face him, still perched on the rock. "Why _friend_ and not _sister_?"

"I don't dare call anyone else my sister anymore." Teddy said, half teasingly.

"You should." she simply said, turning away from him and jumping to another rock.

"Are you jealous?" Teddy teased.

"No, of course not." Victoire said seriously. "I just find it a bit unfair. I was your sister for 12 years, and not even once you considered me as a friend."

"Isn't it better to be considered as a sister than as a friend?" Teddy asked back, walking towards Victoire. He searched her face and noticed it had become redder than before.

"No." she declared, peeking at his face and then staring at the floor. "Is better for other girls, but for me…"

"I thought it was better. To me you'll always be my dear sister." Teddy said, still teasingly. Victoire teared her gaze from the ground and looked at him with rounded hurted eyes. She stared at him for a long moment, searching his eyes and turning scarlet.

"Have you…" Victoire started, and then she jumped to another rock, looking away from him. "Have you changed your mind…?"

"About what?" Teddy asked, getting near her to the other rock.

"About us." she simply said, panic seeping through her voice.

"No." he said, stepping nearer, looking at her with seriousness now. "I'm just nervous."

"Me too." she whispered, sighing with relief. _Was she worried?_ , Teddy asked in his mind. He stepped closer still, trying to muster the courage to touch her. He felt his hair turn completely bubble gum pink, but he didn't change it. If she was worried about his feelings he wanted her to see that he loved her.

She looked at his hair and smiled warmly. She opened her mouth to say something, but just as words were being formed in her throat, she misstepped and slipped. Teddy moved forward, taking her in his arms and embracing her form.

"I'm sorry." she said mortified. She looked up at him with clear baby blue eyes. "I always seem to be falling."

"And I always seem to be catching you." Teddy laughed. Even though Victoire was already safely in the ground, he didn't let go. He loosed his hands that were gripping her arms and slowly transferred them to her waist, resting on her hips in a tender manner. He looked down at her and with a sly smile he kissed her forehead.

"Are you sure you won't change your mind?" Victoire said, hugging him and resting her head on his chest.

"I'm captivated by you, Vic. I don't think I'm able to change my mind." Teddy said, hugging her back and resting his head over Victoire's.

"Good." she looked up to him and on her tiptoes she reached up and kissed the corner of his mouth. He smiled and grabbed her head, directing her face to his and almost smashing their lips together. A simple brush from Victoire's lips made Teddy anxious for more. He introduced his tongue in her mouth without hesitating, and Victoire responded in the same manner, she grabbed the rim of his robes and pulled him to her, darting out her tongue and interlacing it with his. His fingers were digging her hips, squeezing her slim form. He was completely enthralled in their kiss. His heart was beating wildly.

"Let's go someplace else." Victoire said after some time, her lips swollen and her breathing heavy.

"Where?" Teddy asked, his chest rising and falling. His mind started to reel, his trousers were becoming too tight. _Please don't say ´somewhere private´_ , Teddy thought.

"Somewhere more private." Victoire said, smiling at him with uncontrollable excitement. "I can hear people walking about and it's making me nervous."

Teddy looked around them, surely he could hear talking and laughing, but there was no one actually around them. Their little piece of Forest was guarded by trees and fallen trunks. He hesitated, his mind still deep in the gutter. He wanted to touch her, but he knew she was not going to be fine about it.

"I don't know, Vic." Teddy said, his hand combing his hair. He sighed and looked at her, she was still blushed and a sweet smiled was plastered on her face. "Where will we go?"

"To the Castle?" she suggested, grabbing his hand and leading him towards the edge of the Forest. "We could kiss more freely."

"We could…" he said, absentmindedly. Had Victoire always been this seductive? He was panicking, he obviously was going to behave, but what if he did something she didn't like, and ended messing everything up? "Or we could stay and go shopping and-"

"Shopping?" Victoire asked timidly. She turned to look at him. "You'd rather go shopping?"

"It's not a matter of preferences, but if you're already here, you might as well-" Teddy said pathetically, scratching his pinkish hair.

"But I don't get to see you that much. I'd rather lock myself with you than-"

"Lock? Oi…" Teddy stopped in his tracks, pulling Victoire to him. "What are you planning exactly?"

"What do you mean?"

"We could kiss right here."

"But anyone might see us."

"So we're sneaking around?" Teddy asked, feeling slightly hurt. She was planning to keep everything a secret.

"I mean, not exactly sneaking around, but we won't tell anyone yet, right?" Victoire said, her face turning red and embarrassed.

"Why not?" Teddy snarled. Why was he feeling so betrayed? He had mused over the exact same thing mere minutes before, that he might not be ready to enter with full force this relationship, and there he was, snarling at Victoire for thinking the same.

"Because-" Victoire turned her eyes towards their linked hands, squeezing Teddy's. "We were friends for too long."

"You don't think it will work out." Teddy said, grimly.

"I think we should be cautious." Victoire said immediately. "Imagine you go and talk to Papa, and then we break up a week later. That would be a complete waste of-"

"That's not true." Teddy interrupted. "I would go and talk to Bill tomorrow if that's what it takes, because I'm not planning on breaking up with you. If we break up, that'll mean we won't see each other again, and that's…"

"Since when did you become so handsome?" Victoire said, giggling. "I would like it very much if you talk to Papa. Just, not yet."

"Then let's stay here." Teddy pleaded.

"But…"

"Victoire, I'll be frank with you." Teddy said, sighing and taking Victoire's shoulders. He looked at her face, trying not to blush. "If we go somewhere private, I'm probably going to take advantage, so let's stay here."

"Advantage?" she asked, a brow popping up. "You make it sound as if I wouldn't agree."

"Ugh." Teddy groaned, and pulled her to him, resting his head on her shoulder. "Why are you doing this to me? I'm trying really hard to be good."

"I don't want you…" she said, her voice muffled and silenced by the fabric of his robes. He pushed her lightly away so he could see her face. She was a shade of scarlet he had never seen before. "I don't want you to be good."

Teddy stopped thinking after that. He saw, as if in a dream, himself taking Victoire's hand and almost dragging her back to the Castle. He saw as his grin spread all over his face, and as he opened up the Castle doors and almost pushed Victoire inside. He saw himself being dragged towards a broom cupboard, and with an uncontrollable glee, he saw how Victoire started kissing him against the wall.

He had his tongue inside Victoire's mouth, his hands pulling her towards him. She was flat against him and he was certain she could feel his erection poking at her. But she didn't seem to mind. They were panting after several minutes and Teddy was in such a bliss he absentmindedly stroke her bum. He expected her to freak out or to yell or slap him, and yet she remained calmed and smiled and bumped her teeth with his because she wanted to keep smiling and kissing him at the same time. They laughed.

"Is this ok?" Teddy asked, grabbing her ass more firmly now. She was still smiling widely.

"Yes." she sighed into his mouth. He took again her mouth and with his teeth he pulled her bottom lip, extracting a moan from her. Teddy had never heard before such a sensual sound as that. He turned them around and pushed her to the wall, kissing her neck and ear and getting his hand interwoven in her hair. She threw her head back and growled out another moan. He lowered his hand towards her ass again, squeezing and grinding against her. He was losing control fast, but he couldn't stop.

Her hands found Teddy's belt and she pulled him even more towards her, aligning his arousal with her core and then lifting a leg up so he could take it. He kissed her more fiercely, feeling the need to do more. But just as Victoire's fingers brushed his erection, he jumped apart. He looked at her, panting, his chest thumping and his skin flushed. He had to stop, because it was too much, he was about to lose every last drop of his self control.

"What is it?" Victoire asked, her hair messed up and her heaving chest inviting Teddy.

"We need to stop." he mumbled, feeling more embarrassed. Was she ok with this?

"Now?" Victoire complained, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Merlin." Teddy mumbled again. "Are you fully aware of what your words are implying?"

"Oh." Victoire said, realising for the first time that Teddy was actually having trouble. "I didn't realise-"

"I mean," Teddy said, scratching his head. "I could continue, but…"

"We're going too fast." Victoire finished the sentence. "I guess I got carried away."

Teddy came closer to her, hugging her delicate figure in a tender way. He caressed her head and hid his face in her hair. He was completely in love with her, and the fact that she wanted him as much as he wanted her made him incredibly happy.

"I'm afraid we'll end up doing something that you'll regret."

"I'm not regretting anything." Victoire declared sternly. "I waited 12 years for you."

"You don't even want to tell Bill about us." Teddy snickered. "Yet you want to…"

"You're right!" Victoire said suddenly, pushing Teddy away. "We can't have one without the other, right?"

"In an ideal world, no." Teddy said, caressing her face. "I want to do things right, and that means-"

"Not marriage, certainly." Victoire intervened.

"Marriage?" Teddy laughed. "Are we in the eighteenth century? I just meant I need to talk to Bill, otherwise he won't like me anymore, you know, for taking away his little girl."

"You're so eager to talk to Papa." Victoire teased, smiling.

"And you're so eager to get me to undress." Teddy teased back. Victoire blushed profusely.

"I guess we could meet at the middle?" she said, fisting Teddy's robes and looking down embarrassed. "You could talk to Papa when I'm home for the summer, and then we could…"

"Yes." Teddy said, hugging her again. "We certainly could."

Why was it that he was dying to jump her in the morning and was calling for a little slowness in the afternoon? He _loved_ her with his whole heart, that was incredibly obvious for him then. So slowness was necessary: for not messing up, for enjoying it fully, for a future that he was starting to see in his most sincere fantasies.


	14. Drunk

14\. Drunk

The first impression Victoire Weasley had about Terrance Flint was that he had somehow become bigger and more menacing than before. She gulped down her nerves and mounted her broom, Madam Hooch had the whistle in her mouth and was waiting for Jessica to shake hands with the Slytherin Captain. She looked at Flint, he mounted his broom too, and just as Madam Hooch blew her whistle, Flint winked at her and took off.

"Merlin's beard." she said, panic seeping through her pores. She was scared, to say the least, about falling and breaking her bones again. She circled the field once, trying to locate the Snitch. She needed to wait, _again_ , for Gryffindor to have an advantage of at least four hundred points before catching it, otherwise, Slytherin was going to win the Cup. The Snitch was nowhere to be found. Flint circled the pitch too, but he was just as concentrated on finding it as Victoire was.

She looked down at the game. A Bludger was chasing Haley and even though she was twisting in mid air with the Quaffle in her hands, the Bludger wouldn't budge. Charlie was chasing the Bludger right behind her, and as she approached the Slytherin hoop, the Bludger caught up with her, sending her flying and the Quaffle was then in possession of the Slytherin Chaser.

"No!" Victoire exclaimed. She looked at Flint again, he was near the ground, scanning the grass for a golden flash. "He won't see anything down there."

Louis beat off a Bludger towards another Slytherin Chaser, and the Quaffle was in possession of Michael Connor, a Gryffindor third year who had joined their team that year. He was light and fast, so his broom sped along the pitch, sorting Bludgers and players alike. Victoire felt a swell in her chest, the first ten points were going to Gryffindor, but just as Michael came close to the Slytherin hoops, the Slytherin Keeper beat him to it and took the Quaffle directly from his hands.

"That's a penalty!" she heard Charlie screaming to Madam Hooch.

"That was a clean safe!" she screamed back from her broom.

Victoire swore under her breath. She went higher up, to get a better look from the whole pitch. Flint was paying attention to the game, and the Snitch was still not in sight. She saw as two more Bludgers came rushing towards Haley, Louis managed to get the first one and redirected it towards the Keeper while Haley tried to score, but her aim was poor because of the second Bludger and another Chaser crashing her. Slytherin seemed to not be interested in scoring, it was more like they were preventing Gryffindor from getting any points. _That's why Flint is looking for the Snitch so closely_ , Victoire thought.

The first ten points, however, were made by the Slytherin team. One of the Chasers stole the Quaffle from Haley's hands, and aimed it instantly towards the hoops. Jessica tried her best to block it, but she just managed to scrape the ball with her glove. Those first ten points set the mood for the rest of the game. Slytherin kept blocking Gryffindor's chance, and when they were not blocking, they were scoring. By the two hour mark, the score board was 110 to 30, Slytherin on the lead.

"They're crushing us." Victoire told Louis who had come up to her to beat a rogue Bludger.

"It was a long shot from the beginning and they became so much more stronger than in our first match." Louis said, watching the game closely.

"There might still be a chance, right?" Victoire asked hopefully.

"Probably not." Louis said and sped down towards Michael Connor, who was having a hard time losing a Bludger.

Michael managed to score three more times for Gryffindor, and Haley went ahead and got 20 more points. Jessica then turned into her monster personality and blocked the Slytherin approaches more fiercely. But still, the margin of points just got closer by 70 points. Slytherins were all out.

"What's he doing?" Victoire asked herself. Terrance Flint was racing to the other side of the pitch, he had his eyes set somewhere just below the Hufflepuff bleachers, but as Victoire was going to charge just in case, Flint stopped and circled the area at a more leisure pace.

 _He had the Snitch,_ Victoire thought. She needed to catch that Snitch before him, or else Gryffindor's defeat was going to be more painful. She hesitated in her higher stance. She was scared of him, another one-on-one combat was going to knock her out of her broom again. She flew down with caution, looking intently for that golden gleam. She circled the ground and then the higher stands, she went further up again, Flint closely behind her.

It was after some minutes that Victoire saw in the corner of her eye a golden flicker. She didn't have time to think or feel afraid, she just sped towards it, trying with all her might to get it before Flint. The Snitch was clearly in front of her and she almost had it inside her grip when Flint finally caught sight of it. He sped too, and the resulting collision did indeed sent Victoire flying off her broom again. She crashed on the floor with a force that almost knocked her out, she felt her head bump and bounce and her arm go completely limp underneath her. She heard Madam Hooch blowing the whistle and then she saw as the whole team went off their brooms and ran towards her.

"Are you alright?" Louis asked, desperately trying to lift his sister.

"I'm ok." she managed to say, and then she opened up her palm for him to see. "I got it."

Louis quickly called Madam Hooch who was still running towards her, and upon seeing the Golden Snitch still clasped firmly in Victoire's hand, she declared the game over.

"Take her to Madam Pomfrey, Weasley." she told Louis, Charlie taking Victoire's other side so they could lift her.

"I'll take her." came a voice behind them. Victoire's heart fluttered as the last amount of force went out of her and made her completely limp. Strong arms lifted her as if she weighed nothing, and a familiar scent invaded her nose. Teddy's arms never felt so secure and intimate before. She just snuggled her face in his chest and he carried her out the field, cheering noises staying behind.

"What the hell was that?" he asked in a quiet voice, Victoire didn't dare look up.

"What?"

"For Merlin's sake, Victoire. Could you please be more careful?" Teddy spat. "It looked awful from where I was!"

"I'm sorry." she whispered, tightening the grip on his neck with her good arm.

"I hate it when I worry about you," Teddy said, his eyes hard and set ahead. "before I was fine with you getting face first into the mud, but now I cannot stop thinking about what could have happened. This quenching of the heart should be illegal! Don't do anything foolish anymore!"

"I'm sorry." Victoire repeated.

"I know I'm being unfair. Quidditch is all about dirt and who gets the Snitch first and some bruises ought to be expected, but the sight of you on the floor and the sound of your bones breaking, were a bit too much for me! Please worry about yourself because I might not be there to do it all the time!"

By the time Teddy had finished his lecture, they were already in the Hospital Wing and Madam Pomfrey was fussing about Victoire breaking her arm for the second time in a year. She lectured her again and made her change into a pajama set so she could treat her wounds. Teddy waited outside the curtain as Madam Pomfrey helped Victoire. As she was getting her shirt off, she realised her arm and her right side were starting to bother her. The pain was slowly making its way to her mind as the adrenaline ran out.

By the time she was laying in bed, and Teddy was sitting down in a chair next to her bed, Victoire was having trouble breathing. _I must have broken a rib,_ she thought. And indeed, once Madam Pomfrey assessed her wounds, she fussed about her having a broken rib on top of her already broken arm. She gave her a potion that tasted bitter and strap her into a sling for her arm and some bandages for her chest.

"You'll have your bones mended in about 8 hours. Don't move until you do. And you'll have to stay the night." Madam Pomfrey said. She looked at Teddy sitting down, his hand firmly grasping Victoire's good hand and scoffed. "You should get out, Mr. Lupin. She needs to rest."

"Please, Madam Pomfrey. Let me stay for awhile. I'll make sure she doesn't move a muscle." Teddy said, looking at her with puppy eyes. _Why is he so damn charming?_ , Victoire asked in her mind.

"Well," Madam Pomfrey said, looking startled by his sudden coolness. "alright, but just for a bit." And then she went into her office and left them alone.

"Were you so very worried, then?" Victoire asked, relaxing on her pillow and feeling the effects of the potion starting to kick in.

"I was worried sick." he said, shaking his head. His hair was jet black in that moment, just as his eyes. He looked incredibly sexy, as it gave him an appearance of something mystical. "Were you not?"

"I was scared at first…" Victoire yawned. "Terrance Flint broke my arm last time, too."

"That bastard." Teddy muttered, squeezing Victoire's hand.

"But when I saw the Snitch…" Victoire yawned again. Why was she so tired all of a sudden? "I didn't have time to think… I just went for it."

"You will go down in Hogwarts history as an awesome Seeker. Too bad Gryffindor lost the Cup."

"Gryffindor had lost it since the beginning…" Victoire said and closed her eyes. She could feel Teddy's touch on her wrist as his thumb delicately caressed her skin. She could hear him breathing in a sublime manner, reminding her that he was close enough for her to touch him. She felt time melt away and in between consciousness she heard Teddy's voice: "I love you, Vic." But she couldn't answer back, her eyelids were heavy with sleepiness and her mind was fuzzy because of the potion, so when she finally could open her eyes again, it was already night time, and Teddy was not in his chair. Instead, Haley and Dominique were looking down at her.

"Whaddisit?" Victoire asked groggily. She rubbed her eyes with her good hand. Her broken arm didn't felt broken anymore, but she still had some remanent pain that extended to her shoulder. She could breath easily, but her chest was still a bit painful to move.

"There's a party at the Dungeons." Dominique whispered.

"Because of the Cup I bet." Victoire said her eyes adjusting to the dim moonlight.

"We came to sneak you out." Haley whispered more urgently.

"What?" Victoire asked, sitting up on the bed. Her arm was definitely not broken anymore.

"Shhhh!" Haley whispered again. "Madam Pomfrey will hear you!"

"Practically all the upper grades are there, Louis and Charlie already head down there." Dominique explained, getting her sister's clothes from a tiny bag.

"Madam Pomfrey will murder me if I leave." Victoire said, but she nevertheless kicked the covers off her and sat down on the edge of the bed. Dominique helped her out of her pajama, and swiftly put on a t-shirt and some jeans.

"We never got to take you out for your seventeenth birthday!" Haley exclaimed. "This is the perfect opportunity to get you drunk."

"Ugh." Victoire said, stepping of the bed and getting her sneakers on. "I don't want to get drunk."

"You're such a good girl! Your birthday was last week, you ought to get drunk to celebrate it!"

"Leave her alone." Dominique said, looking to the dark office where Madam Pomfrey was, in no doubt, sleeping. "She was injured, there's no need to rush the drunk thing."

"Fine!" Haley said, running towards the door and opening it. "But you'll get drunk with me in the summer!"

The girls sneaked out without them being seen. The Castle corridors were cold and empty, the moonlight the only thing illuminating their paths. It must have been pretty late, for not a sound was heard on the whole trajectory to the Dungeons. When they finally got into the underground passages, they started to hear music: The Bubotubers was playing over a wireless and the continued cheering and screaming of over-excited kids came to them in a whaff. The third Dungeon was the site of the party. It smelled like spilled Firewhiskey and people from every House were there, making the space seem crammed. Dominique quickly disappeared with Charlie, instantly locking themselves with their mouths. They looked happy together, Charlie was sporting a huge goofy grin and Dominique looked girlier and radiant. Haley slightly pulled Victoire by the good arm and led her to a couch that someone had magicked into the packed classroom. Steven was there, talking to a bunch of Ravenclaw blokes. They all had a glass in their hands.

"You can stay with us." Haley said in Victoire's ear over the music. "Sit down."

Victoire did as she was told. Haley instantly curled up at Steven's side and intervened in the conversation the blokes were having, leaving Victoire to her own business. She scanned the place with her eyes, wherever she looked at, people were drinking and playing drinking games and singing along at the top of their lungs. They looked as if they were having fun. She hadn't tasted a drop of alcohol since that time at the club with Teddy, but she was not comfortable drinking without him there. No, that was not it. _I know I'll want to jump him if I drink_ , Victoire thought. Alcohol, she had discovered that one time, made her randy. She felt a blush creep onto her face and a goofy grin made its way to her mouth, she remembered those words clearly. He had said he loved her, even if she was a bit unconscious when he said it, his mouth had actually pronounced the words. She was delighted.

"What is an annoying girl like you doing here?" she heard a familiar voice in her ear. She turned her head and was in a very recognizable situation. Nott's face was centimeters away from hers, his sultry voice inviting. He had his characteristic scruff that made his squared jaw and his messy hair look even more alluring. It was the first time they spoke since he had dumped her at the Library in February.

"I heard this was a party." Victoire said shyly.

"Come with me." he said, grabbing Victoire's good arm. She noticed then, that his breath smelled like booze.

"What are you doing, Nott?" Victoire heard Steven call out.

"That's none of your fucking business, McCallister." Nott lashed out, grabbing Victoire's arm more fiercely.

"Leave her alone, mate." Steven said more forcefully, getting up from the couch. "What do you want with her anyway?"

"I fucking swear, McCallister, you ask another question and I'll kick you." Nott said, his face contorted in rage.

"What the fuck did you say?" Steven took Haley's arm and pulled her behind him as if to protect her. He was about to do the same with Victoire, when Nott pulled her to him, getting her under his arm.

"Try me." he growled.

"Cut it out." Victoire said, getting Nott's arm off her and stepping between Steven and Nott. "I know him, he's my friend, I'll be right back."

"You fucking heard that, McCallister?" Nott bragged, taking Victoire's arm again and leading her out.

As they made their way out of the party, a million butterflies were imploding in Victoire's stomach. She was nervous, but not the good kind of nervous, it was more like an omen, as if something was about to happen. Nott led her out the Dungeon and closed the door behind them, he sped through the hallways, and as they passed nooks on the walls and empty classrooms, they could hear love sounds from other students. Victoire was definitely nervous.

Nott finally shove Victoire inside a secret hallway behind a suit of armor. The space was reduced, so Nott's body heat quickly engulfed Victoire. She backed away from him as much as she could, but Nott was still almost touching her.

"What is it?" Victoire asked, reddening and feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

"I came to see you." Nott whispered, sending a booze aroma to her face. He reached out and touched Victoire's hair, instantly tucking it behind her ear. "I came to see you but he was already there."

"Who?" Victoire asked, looking down to her feet.

"That Head Boy." he almost spat the words. Victoire turned to see him to his face, she noticed his eyes were glazed and his cheeks were rosy. Was he drunk? He was looking intently at her, but his look was not menacing, it rather reminded her of those last weeks of their supposed relationship. "Are you like together now?"

"Yeah…" Victoire whispered. "He confessed his feelings for me and-"

"Do you have sex with him?" Nott spat again.

"No…" Victoire said, her voice cracking. She was not afraid like when she was with him, she was nervous. "Not yet."

Nott moved too quickly for Victoire to even register what was going on. He pulled her to him and embraced her deeply. He lost a bit his balance, and used one of his hands to level himself with the wall behind Victoire effectively trapping her. His face was buried in her neck and he started shuddering slightly.

"Nott?"

"Why are you doing this to me?" he said, his voice muffled by her hair.

"What do you mean?" she asked in a quiet voice. Her good arm was limp at her side, the other one painfully crushed between their bodies. She tried to shove him off, but he wouldn't bulge.

"Why do I only think of you? I tried…" Nott squeezed her and snuggled his face deeper in Victoire's hair. "I fucked so many women after you, and still I only liked it when I was with you."

"We never had sex."

"I know… That's what worries me the most." he pulled apart from their embrace and looked at her directly to her face. "I liked being with you even more than I like fucking."

"You dumped me." she said looking down.

"I didn't understand why. I am…" his voice caught and he hugged her again. "Is that fucking Head Boy good? Does he pleased you as much as I did?"

"I wouldn't know…"

"I could do it again." he pulled apart again, grabbing her shoulders and looking her directly in the eyes. "You liked it, didn't you? You liked being with me."

"It was fun." she said quietly. "But now it's-"

"Let me show you." he said seriously, interrupting her words.

"What?" she asked surprised.

"I-" Nott's face was contorted in pain. He grabbed Victoire's face but he didn't try to kiss her. He just stared at her, and then he plainly said, his eyes clearing up: "I love you, Victoire."

"Nott…" Victoire tried to say something, but he shook his head.

"I fucking love you. I'll wait for you, I'll make you fall in love with me, just give me a chance. Please."

"What?" Victoire was confused. "I thought you didn't… I already have-"

Nott hugged her again, squeezing her again painfully between his arms. He sighed and then caressing the back of her head he said: "Don't say that yet. Wait until the end of the year. I need you with me again."

He let her go and he just stumbled out of the passage they were crammed in. He cursed under his breath as he landed on his knees and hands on the cold floor. He got up and turned to look at her, and in a very drunk fashion he smiled openly and ran out of there.

As Victoire made her way back to the Hospital Wing, she started counting in her head: 3 more weeks for the end of the school year, she could reject him then.


	15. Persistance

15\. Persistance

Victoire Weasley came out of her Transfiguration class the next morning not feeling like herself. Half her class was hung over, and the other half was absent, so she had plenty of time to think about her current situation. It was more of a Nott situation than her own, but still she felt weird about it.

Madam Pomfrey had let her go at 8 that morning, her arm still in a splint, but her escapade still a mystery. She had managed to dress herself without help, once she was back at her dorm, and had even managed to eat her breakfast with just mild discomfort, but as she went out of the class room and began struggling with her backpack and her robes were tangling themselves in the straps, her recently mended arm was starting to bother her immensely.

"I got it." she heard Nott's voice behind her, and then she felt him tugging at her straps and her robes. She didn't dare face him yet. What was she to say about the night before? She felt slightly guilty, even though she was not completely sure why.

"Where's your next class?" she heard Nott ask. He took her backpack from her and slouched it over his shoulder. She turned around to face him.

"What are you doing?" she asked, hissing a bit. Right then she realised she was angry at him. But exactly why, she had no clue.

"Helping you out." he said, with a sly smile. He moved closer to her, towering over her and grabbing her good arm to lead the way. She immediately shook off his hand and tried to grab her backpack from his clutch.

"You don't need to, thank you." she said coldly.

"Let me, baby." he whispered in her ear. She backed away instantly and started to walk towards Herbology. Nott followed her the whole way and just as she was recovering from her shock of having his breath that close to her ear, he grabbed her arm again in a gentle way, gentler as never before.

"Let's go this way." he said, motioning towards a corridor that led to the moving stairs. The corridor was empty.

"Let's not." she said simply, taking the long way towards the kitchens.

"People may bump into you that way." he said, grabbing her more firmly.

"So what?" she asked, rather harshly.

"You want to get hurt again?" he said, pulling her towards the empty corridor. The fire in his eyes reminded her of the many times he demanded for her to undress, or when he pushed her against a wall, it was not lust, it was care and admiration and in this case it was a need.

She followed him because she was suddenly drawn to him like a magnet. She had forgotten how easy he could make her obey. Victoire was not quite sure she liked that.

"My arm is fine now." Victoire whispered. "The sling is just a precaution Madam Pomfrey insisted upon. So you can stop following me around."

"That's not why I'm following you around." he said, still looking ahead.

"You didn't mean what you said last night, right?" she said hopefully, peering at him between her lashes. Now that the corridor was deserted she could hear the echo of her heart hammering.

"I meant every word." he said sternly. "I'll be right beside you until I have you again."

"I don't want you." she said, firmly, her face blushing intensely.

"It's not a matter of want anymore." he said, touching her arm again. He stopped walking, looking at her. She looked down, trying to escape from his eyes. "It's a matter of need. You don't want me now, but you'll need me later."

"That's not how's suppose to work…" she whispered.

"That's how I feel towards you." he said, walking again.

"You need me?" Victoire asked, staying behind.

"Yes." he said, turning around and waiting for her some paces ahead. "To even breath."

"Now you're the one that's becoming annoying." Victoire said catching up to him.

"I know. I annoy myself too." he said, simply. They walked in silence after that. Victoire was not giving him the benefit of a doubt, she knew that he still just wanted to get her to bed, and was frustrated by the fact that he never could. If she gave in to him, he was going to hurt her, and what's more, she didn't want to give in to him, she wanted to live peacefully with Teddy and their new found relationship.

"Let's not fool ourselves, Nott." she said after a while, once the greenhouses were visible. "You don't have to keep following me around."

"I already told you." he said, towering over her again, getting her backpack off his shoulder and handing it to her. "That's not why I'm following you. I guess I've now become the stalker."

"I'm not going to have sex with you." she said, her resolve made. She backed a step or two, and looked around. They were alone in that part of the Castle. Why did she always ended up alone with him?

"Even though I would very much have you like that," he said, licking his lips and getting closer. "that's not my final intent."

"Then what?" Victoire spat.

"I love you." he said, his eyes serious, he didn't even blink, and it made her suspicious.

"I don't believe you." she whispered, taken aback by his straight-forward response.

"Give me a chance to prove it to you. Let's…" Nott made a frown, and then he looked at her with vulnerable eyes. "...date. Let's go on a date and-"

"I'm already dating-"

"The fucking Head Boy, I know."

"I can't go out with you." she said, truthfully. His eyes were casted down and he sighed. She felt awful for it, but there was no other way, it was already too late. She backed away a bit more, Nott looking at her movements, but not making one himself to stop her. "Goodbye, Nott."

She walked away not looking back. Even though she had said no to him, he kept coming back. At first she didn't notice him that same day at the Great Hall, but after awhile and Louis asking about it, she realised Nott was looking at her from afar, and even waved. She scoffed and told Louis it was nothing.

But as the days passed, his interactions were becoming surreal, even to Victoire. It was true that he had embraced the role of the stalker, as he now appeared where Victoire was all the time. They met at the Library and he helped her study, pointing out things that might come in the exam, even though Victoire had not asked for it. They met at the Entrance Hall in time for dinner or breakfast, and he always made sure to make small talk and tried to tempt Victoire into dating him. They even met at Hogsmeade two weekends before going back home. He asked her to spend the day with him, but she refused pointedly. Nott didn't seem to waver in his resolve. He wanted to be with her, and Victoire was starting to take him more seriously. What if he really did love her? What was she to do then?

"You're late, baby." Nott said to her one morning a week before going back home. Finals were over by then and she regularly took a stroll at the grounds after breakfast to clear her mind.

"I took my time eating." she said, nonchalantly walking towards the lake. "I'm thinking in not coming back out here. You're always souring my mornings."

"Is it so wrong to take a walk beside the woman I want?" Nott asked cheekily. He fell on a leisure pace alongside her.

"It is when said woman already has a man." she said, frowning and looking ahead.

"Right," Nott said, laughing. "How's the Head Boy these days? Does he write sexy poetry in those lengthy letters he sends to you?"

"That's none of your business."

"No, please." Nott said, still walking by her side. "Enlighten me, what does an Auror talk about with his sweetheart?"

"He talks about training and about how much he misses me." she said, simply, kicking a rock at the edge of the lake.

"How smart of him." he said, acidly.

"If you hate him so much, you shouldn't talk about him."

"I like talking about him, he's my enemy, and you know what people say about enemies."

"What do people say?" Victoire asked. She hadn't notice how her attention was immediately consumed by him, how she clinged to every word he said, how she still liked him and how much she still enjoyed his company.

"Know your enemy so you can defeat him." he said smirking.

"I've never heard that saying before." she said, a smile playing in her lips.

"Oh, but it's true, baby. I know so much about him by what you tell me." he moved closer, his arm was brushing hers, and she couldn't take it away. He looked at her with his long lashes, and his perfect white teeth. "I know that he thinks of you as a little girl, that he wouldn't touch you, that he wants a formal relationship and boring relatives mendling in your business. I know that he's not capable of being spontaneous and that he likes everything in its right place. And I know that you still haven't told a soul about your suppose relationship because you're still undecided."

"You are wrong, Edward Nott." Victoire said, turning to him and crossing her arms above her chest. "He doesn't think of me as a little girl, and he has touched me and he's very capable of being wild and spontaneous."

"Then you are undecided." he stated, crossing his arms above his chest too. "That's why you haven't told anyone yet."

"I love him." she said, looking him in the eye.

"That doesn't mean you are not undecided." he said cheekily. "You still have your doubts about your relationship."

"I have my doubts about how my family will react, that's all."

"And what about me?"

"What about it?" she asked surprised, she took a step back.

"How do you feel about me?" he asked, uncrossing his arms, and touching her face with the tips of his fingers. Victoire looked at him without being able to answer his question. The seriousness in his eyes, the honesty with which he had asked that question demanded an authentic answer, one that she could not give. What were her feelings for him? She didn't love him, but she still was attracted to him. Was it because of what they had done in the past? She had seen him completely naked, and he had seen her, the only other living person that had seen her body without clothes. That thought alone made her nervous.

"I don't know." she said after sometime, reddening. "I don't mean that I am in love with you, because I'm not. I just don't know…"

"Come on, Victoire." he said, grabbing her hands between his. "Look at me, I've become this pathetic fool for you. Do you need more proof that I…"

"What do you want me to do?" she asked sheepishly, trying to free her hands.

"Let's go out."

"Why can't we just be friends?" she asked, blushing even more.

"Because you know we'd be lousy friends." he pulled her hands, and grabbed her shoulders, embracing her. Again his actions had been too quick for Victoire to even register, when she found herself in Nott's arms. She tried to shove him off, but he just squeezed her tighter.

"Someone might see!" she said, panicking. She tried to look around, but nobody was near them, the sun was already at its highest point and most people had fled from the heat.

"I don't care." he said, in her ear. "If you have the smallest doubt as to what you feel towards me, then I'm still game. If it even crosses your mind that you fancy me, then come to me, and we can date and have all those hearts and roses and be boyfriend and girlfriend, like you wanted since the beginning."

"Nott-"

"Not yet. Just think about it, baby. I'll wait for you." he let her go, and she looked at him with murder in her eyes.

"Don't expect a good answer." she said, more out of spite than because it was true. She left him there by the Lake, it seemed that she was always running away from him, and she didn't see him again for the rest of the day.

In fact, Victoire didn't see him the rest of the week. If he was there watching, she didn't notice. He suddenly disappeared, waiting as he said. His absence, more than make her breath easily, gave her more heartache. It forced her to really think about him, things that she had let fly over her head were coming back to torment her: she liked his smile and the way he touched her, specially the last few weeks of their alleged relationship, the way he would exclaim in admiration when seeing her naked skin, the way he would surprise her and follow her around.

If their relationship had gone further, would she had fallen in love with him? Was he the key to letting go of Teddy? But the fact still remained that she didn't want to let go of Teddy, at least not now that they had found each other finally. Was there even a choice to be made or was she just having doubts because Teddy was not there at the Castle to battle it out fair and square?

It was a late night at her dormitory, a night at the beginning of the week they were due to go back home, the night before the results for the finals were out, when Dominique knocked on the door. Victoire opened with worry in her mind, Dominique was not one to come running to her sister unless something was extremely wrong.

"What's going on?" she whispered, trying not to wake the rest of the girls in the dormitory.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" she asked, her cheeks rosy and her red hair ruffled.

"Is everything ok?" Victoire asked, letting her sister come inside her room. They both got inside the covers in Victoire's four poster, and then laid their heads on the pillows.

"Have you ever done something that sounded good at the beginning but it turned out completely not what you expected?" Dominique asked quizzically, looking to the ceiling. Victoire turned on her side to look at her sister's profile.

"Like what?"

"Promise not to tell Mama and Papa." she said, turning her head to her sister, her eyes full of tears.

"I promise." Victoire said immediately.

"Charlie and I...we did it." she said in a whisper.

"You...did?" Victoire asked confused. "You had sex?"

"Yes." Dominique whispered even lower, her whole face lighting red.

"Did you use the potion?" Victoire asked with a worried expression.

"Yes, yes." Dominique dismissed her. "We did everything correctly."

"Then what's the problem? I mean, you guys are only fifteen, I guess it's a little young, but you love him, right?"

"I do." Dominique said truthfully, turning again to the ceiling, a tear spilling from her eye. She quickly brushed it away.

"Dom, I don't understand." Victoire said, worrying more. She hugged her sister by the middle and settled her head on her hair. "Tell me from the beginning."

"It was two days ago." Dominique started, her voice was cracking. "We didn't really talk about it, we just wanted to be alone because Louis kept pestering us all the time! So we snuck into his dormitory while everyone else was at dinner. He knew that his roommates were going to play Quidditch after dinner so we had the room to ourselves.

"One thing led to another, we hadn't been alone that much since we starting dating, and I guess we became curious. First I took off my shirt and then we were completely- Anyway, he asked me if it was okay, and I said yes. So we did it, it hurt a lot, that's when I started crying, I thought it was because of the pain, but as he moved inside me, I started crying more and more. It was over in a matter of minutes."

"Why were you crying?" Victoire asked quietly.

"I don't know. It didn't feel right, Vic." Dominique said, turning to see her sister. Her tears were streaming from her eyes and her face was redder than before. "I could see he didn't like it. He had this disappointed frown on his face, and he dressed quickly after it. We didn't say anything for the rest of the day. I guess what bothered me the most was that he could just ignore it like that."

"You just have to talk it out and-"

"I broke up with him." Dominique stated, and then she started crying heavily, she was panting and gasping for air. Victoire reached out for her wand and cast a Silencing charm on the bed, so nobody else could hear them. She patted Dominique's head and let her cry to her heart's content. It took her maybe an hour to finally drained her tears and when she settled again in silence and the comfort of Victoire's arms, Victoire was brave enough to ask her why.

"How was it for you?" Dominique asked, changing the subject.

"I haven't done it yet." Victoire said. "I never let Nott do it."

"Why not?"

"Because I didn't love him." Victoire said. She thought about it for a moment, she wanted to tell her about Teddy, Dominique had revealed something incredibly private, and she felt the need to tell someone about it. "I almost did with Teddy but we decided to wait."

"Teddy?" Dominique said, sitting on the bed and looking at Victoire with a surprised expression. "Since when?"

"We kind of got together at the Easter holidays." she said, turning scarlet. "But we haven't told anyone yet."

"That's why he came to the Quidditch game! He came to see you!" Dominique giggled. "Why wouldn't you say it?"

"What if it doesn't work? I mean, Nott say that-"

"Nott? What's he to do with anything?" Dominique asked, even more surprised.

"He asked me to go out with him again." Victoire revealed, feeling slightly guilty. "I rejected him, but when I asked him why couldn't we be friends, he said we'd make lousy friends. What if the opposite happens with Teddy? We've been friends since forever, what if we make lousy lovers?"

"That's the dumbest thing I have ever heard!" Dominique exclaimed, hitting her sister in the upper arm. "You guys have always been perfect for each other, you love him and you care about him and you guys are always laughing, if he loves you back, then that's all it takes."

"And you and Charlie?" Victoire asked. "Why did you break up with him?"

Dominique flopped on the bed again, she got the covers all the way up to her head and remained still for some minutes. Victoire laid her head on the pillow and waited for her. As the minutes ticked by, she started to feel her eyelids heavy. She closed her eyes, but then Dominique said:

"He clearly didn't love me anymore."

"Did he tell you that?"

"He didn't need to."

"Don't assume things."

"You too." Dominique said, holding her sister's hand under the covers. "Don't assume things."

They fall asleep immediately after that. Dominique was in no speaking terms with Charlie, or Louis for that matter, she sat down and had breakfast away from them, and the last days at the Castle made it blatantly obvious that they had broken up. Charlie just looked at her with a pained expression on his face whenever they coincided in the common room. Victoire tried to ask Louis about it, but he said it was better that way. Victoire was fuming, the only person who actually tried to do something about it was her. Dominique was completely convinced Charlie didn't love her anymore, and Charlie presumably thought the same about her.

Saturday finally came. Victoire knew time was running out, if they stayed away from each other the whole summer, there was no way they would fix their relationship. As she dragged her luggage to the train, she caught up with Dominique. She grabbed her arm and led her to a compartment that she knew was already taken.

"We're sitting here!" she announced, as she opened the compartment door. Charlie and Louis turned their heads in their direction and upon seeing Dominique, Charlie stood up from his sit.

Dominique turned to look at her sister and then at Charlie and her expression immediately changed, she turned scarlet and whispered to her sister:

"Stop it now."

Victoire saw the despair in her eyes and the damage she most likely was causing her and she immediately regretted it. Dominique got her things and walked to another compartment, Charlie stood there, looking at her with the same despair she had seen in her sister's eyes. She left her luggage on the rack beside the boys' and stepped outside to look for her sister and apologised. She had been so engrossed in it, that she had forgotten she was not part of it, she was a mere observer and she just did it to forget about her own situation.

Two compartments down, as the train was departing, she saw Nott opening the door. She cursed under her breath, that was not the time to deal with him, and yet, she knew she couldn't avoid it forever.

"Have you decided?" he asked her. Louis poked his head from his compartment and looked at them with suspicion.

"Is everything okay, Victoire?" he asked.

"Yes, Lou, don't worry about it." she said, and crossed the corridor to Nott's compartment. He closed the door behind her and stood close to her. She sat down, and he did the same opposite her. She looked into his deep brown eyes and perceived the fragility of the situation in the reflexion. He did meant everything he had said.

"What is it, baby? Are we going on a date this summer?" he asked, forwarding and bringing his hand to touch her face. She let him, more out of pity than because she liked it.

"Nott…" she whispered. She had to say it, and yet, the words were fading in her mouth.

"Why won't you call me Edward?" he asked, still caressing her face.

"Edward…" she said, savoring his name between her lips. "I can't go out with you."

"How do you feel about me, baby? Tell me now, because I get the feeling I won't see you ever again after we get down from this train." he implored. Edward Nott actually implored.

"You make me feel hot." she began, blushing a little. "You make me feel attractive and desirable, you showed me things I had not seen, and I am grateful to you for that, for helping me out when I needed a distraction, but…"

"There has to be a but, right?" he said, slouching down on his seat and crossing his arms above his chest.

"You frighten me." she declared, looking at him directly to his eyes. "You never waited for me, you made it clear from the beginning you only liked me because of my body. Half the time I was with you, you ordered me around and I was so afraid to disobey you. When you broke up with me, I felt safe, and that's not a good sign. You say you love me now, and I believe you, but the thing is…"

"You don't."

"Yes." she said, standing up. "I already love somebody else, and it's true, I had my doubts. But I don't anymore. We'll be fantastic, and I was a fool for not saying it from the beginning, I should have told him how I felt and everything would have been alright since the beginning. He loves me back, and that's all that matters now."

Nott let Victoire go. He remained quiet, and she went to look for Dominique. She found her with some other fourth years, and she didn't dare say anything in front of them, so she just went back to the compartment she was sharing with Louis and Charlie. The ride home was uneventful.

When they had arrived to platform 9 ¾, and their luggage had been taken down, Victoire made her way towards the red heads she could see, they ought to be her family. But Nott's voice called her back.

"Victoire!" Nott came to her, his luggage in his hand.

"I don't have anything else to say." she declared.

"I do." he said, simply. A crowd was passing them by, and they were engulf by students and parents reuniting. "I wanted to say goodbye."

"You're not coming back to Hogwarts." she said.

"No, I just finished." he said. "And as I said, I get the feeling we're not seeing each other ever again."

"I'm sorry things turned out this way."

"I'm sorry, too." he said, patting her head. "You will always be my first."

"Ditto." she said laughing.

As always in Victoire's life, things move out too quickly for her to predict them, maybe because she's always distracted, or maybe because she always thinks the best of people and she believes nothing bad will ever happen to her, but as she was still laughing, Nott came closer and kissed her on the mouth. Her lips were instantly trapped in his, but just as suddenly as he had kissed her, he was separated by an external force. That force being Teddy Lupin and his outstretched wand.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he almost screamed, taking Nott by the collar of his robes and pointing his wand at his neck. Victoire had never seen Teddy so angry, and she had never heard him curse before.

"Easy, Head Boy." Nott said, raising his hands in defeat.

"I asked you, what the fuck are you doing?" Teddy said in a clearer more menacing tone.

"Lupin!" Bill came rushing towards them, and right behind him, Harry and Ron came too. Harry separated the boys and Ron scowled them, letting Nott go, and dragging Teddy away.

"Are you okay?" Bill asked Victoire, but she was unable to respond, she just stood there, surprised. "Victoire, are you alright?"

"Yes, Papa."


	16. Birthday

**A/N: Hi! I wanted to take time to thank the reviewers because frankly they inspire me to keep going. Just as they eagerly wait my updates I eagerly wait their reviews, so thank you so much for taking your time in writing to me, specially for those who do it in every chapter, or those who give long reviews! Thank you sooooo much! Here is a long cute chapter for your entertainment. Enjoy!**

16\. Birthday

"Ted Lupin, you better be concentrating!" Ron Weasley called out to Teddy in the middle of practice. He was doing drills that morning and he had been left behind by the rest of his team. They had to climb a fence and get chest down on the mud and then complete the exercise routine with some good old Jumping Jacks. It was mandatory for second year recruits to complete two hours of drills everyday.

"I am, Sir." he called out. The truth was that he was not concentrating on his drills. He was thinking about Victoire, just as he had been for the past year. But the thing was that for the last week he had been feeling resentful towards her too. Who would've thought that being in love could take so much of his thinking time?

"Fucking Nott." Teddy whispered, getting down in the mud to complete his drill. The rest of the team had already finished and were drinking water and getting their heads wet under the scruciating morning sun.

"Come on, Ted!" Jackie Jang called to him, she had been his partner in several missions along the year and they were the favorites in Ron's class. Still Teddy was hoping that by the end of training next year, he would get another partner. Jackie was fine, but Teddy did not like her that much.

"Oi, Lupin," Jaime Torres exclaimed, once Teddy had finished the course. "what was that? You finally gave up?"

"Shut it, Torres." Teddy said, gasping for air and patting him on the back. Jaime was one of Teddy's roommates and a fellow ex-Hufflepuff at Hogwarts. "I'm still better than you!"

"You wish, Lupin." he said, laughing. "You're all books and no fun, my friend."

"These days Ted's been all angst and no fun." John Prewett, another of Teddy's roommates, intervened kicking Teddy lightly on the shins.

"Right," Jaime said, getting up from the bench so Teddy could sit down, and handing him a water bottle. "still problems at paradise?"

"You have problems because she's too young, Teddy." Jackie said, butting in in their conversation, drinking from her own bottle.

"And you're too ugly, honey." John said. "He's not into you, forget it."

"Fuck off, John." Jackie said, flipping him the finger and walking away.

"Is she blind or something?" John sat down beside Teddy. "The more you talk about your little girlfriend, the more Jackie thinks she's got a chance."

"It's fine." Teddy said, his hair turning green. "I'd rather deal with her than with Victoire right now."

"Man, you don't even know what happened." Jaime said, getting another water bottle from the cooler.

"What else could it be?" John began. "He caught them in the act."

"Let's not talk about it." Teddy said, standing up from the bench. He certainly didn't know what had happened, but even remembering the incident made his heart quench. _I told you not to worry me any longer,_ Teddy told the Victoire in his mind.

"You should ask her tonight." Jaime said, patting Teddy on the back. "You're still going to her birthday thing, right?"

"I don't know."

"Mate, if you don't go she'll hate you forever." John said, getting his training equipment from the bench.

"I said I don't know." Teddy repeated. The conversation was cut short by Ron, who came jogging to them. He sounded the whistle and ordered them to hit the showers.

They had the afternoon off on a Saturday, but it still meant they had to run through some cases with the Senior Aurors before calling it. Ron assigned the second years from a clipboard with a chart.

"Ted Lupin, Auror Potter asked for you." Ron said, slapping his back.

"Just me?" Teddy asked, relieved not to partner with Jackie again.

"That's right." Ron said, checking his chart. "He just requested one second year."

"Lucky bastard." John said under his breath. It was no secret Harry was his Godfather, and most of the time neither Harry nor Ron made exceptions with him, but once in awhile, Harry asked for him and they would just chat in his office and fill out some paperwork.

"When you get top of the class, Prewett, then you get to complain, in the meantime you get stuck with me! Now go!" Ron grunted.

"Yes, Auror Weasley." the class chanted.

After the showers, Teddy went into the Auror's office in the Ministry. An elderly witch greeted him once he arrived at Harry's office. Mrs. Pale was Harry's secretary, and Teddy didn't understand why he still relied on her when most of the times she couldn't remember her own name. Mrs. Pale ruffled his blue hair and told him to wait while Auror Potter finished his meeting.

Kingsley Shacklebolt came out of Harry's office a minute later. He stood in front of Teddy, recognising him and with a booming laugh asked him how was training.

"It's alright, Minister." Teddy answer respectfully, he stood up to shake his hand, but it was completely engulfed by Kingsley's immense one.

"Come now, Teddy." said the Minister, a playful glint in his eye. "I trained Ron Weasley myself, I think I know how crushing those lessons can be."

"They are, sir. I think I've become permanently sore from all that training." Teddy said in a conspiratory manner.

"Glad we have youngsters like you still eager to help the Wizarding World. Mum and Dad ought to have been proud."

"Thank you, sir." Teddy said openly smiling at Kingsley.

"Well, carry on with your duties, _Auror_ Lupin." Kingsley winked at him and left the waiting area.

He smiled to himself at the title he still had to earn. One more year and he'll be a full-fledged Auror. _Auror Lupin_ , Teddy thought, liking the ring to it.

"Trainee, what are you doing smiling like a goof?" Teddy heard Harry's voice.

"Ah," he came back to reality. "Sorry, Har- Auror Potter, sir."

"Come in." he said, laughing. "I wanted to review a case with you today. I'm still trying to get my head around it and I don't seem to be getting anywhere."

"A real case?" Teddy asked, surprised.

"Of course, Ted." Harry said proudly. "Even though your behavior last week was a bit… inadequate, I still think you've earn it."

"Yes." he said, remembering. "I'm sorry about that. I don't know what came over me."

"I just wish you would tell me what happened." Harry pleaded for the hundredth time.

"It's nothing, forget it." Teddy said, dismissing it and taking a seat in front of Harry's desk.

"You were not on duty, so I can't really reprimand you, but that kind of behavior is not one I condon in an Auror, you understand that, right?" Harry said, sitting down at his desk.

"Yes, I know. It was a one time thing."

"Teddy, I know you like her." Harry said, suddenly taking a more mature approach to their conversation. "I was 19 once too, we can do stupid things when we're in love, just don't let that get in the way of your career. What could he have possibly do to her that you'd react so badly?"

"I-the truth is that…" Teddy looked at Harry. "I don't know what happened exactly, I have not spoken to her since that day."

"I see." Harry said simply, taking out the case file. "So you better fix it before it starts affecting your work."

"Yes, sir." Teddy grabbed the case file Harry was handing him.

"Now, take a look at this." Harry said, opening his own copy of the file. Teddy was instantly repulsed by the numerous moving photos of the crime scene. The dead woman was indeed dead in the photograph, but the investigators that were in the frame were all shouting their theories back at them and looking for clues. Teddy scanned the data of the murder and with great grief he saw that the woman was not a woman yet, she was 15. "There is no much to go on. I thought at first she might have been in some sort of magic duel, but she was no witch, she's a muggle."

"Why's there so much blood?" Teddy asked, his mouth suddenly dry. He had never seen this kind of crime before, the ones he had worked on with Ron were all thefts, arsons, or curses that had gone wrong. Never a murder.

"That's what tips me off. She seems to have been tortured. But when we took the body for examination, it was determined that she didn't die from any of the wounds. She most likely died from the Avada curse." Harry took out another file with the details of the autopsy.

"Do you suspect Dark Magic? Death Eaters, perhaps?" Teddy volunteered.

"Death Eaters…" Harry said, thoughtfully. "That's a term I have not heard in quite a while. We rounded them all up after the War and even though we might have missed a few, why would they be targeting muggles now after all this time?"

"Why her?" Teddy asked, still looking at the photo of the dead woman. "Why this particular muggle?"

"Bad things happen all the time, Ted." Harry said, dismissively, reading the autopsy report for the tenth time.

"No." Teddy said. "Was there anymore attacks of the like to muggles recently?"

"No, not really." Harry answered, turning his attention back to Teddy.

"Then why her? Why not any other muggle? Why her in that alley where anybody could have seen? If someone was going to murder a muggle in such a hateful way, why risk being exposed?"

"What are you thinking?" Harry asked.

"What do you know about the muggle? Maybe it was not a hate crime, maybe it was personal. And if you find out about the muggle maybe you could find out who did it. You need a why to fill out the who."

"You might be right." Harry said, scribbling a memo and enchanting it to fold itself like a paper airplane and taking off to another office. "We don't have anything on the muggle. You did a good job, kid."

"Are you going to investigate it?" Teddy asked. Harry stood up and was putting on his robes.

"Yes. Right now." Harry said, getting his wand from the desk and walking towards the door. "If I hurry I might still catch the investigation party before they go home."

"I'll go with you." Teddy said, excited.

"No," Harry stopped him, "you've helped enough, Ted. Don't worry about it. Next time I'll get you another real case to work with."

"But I-"

"You're not ready yet for the real thing, trust me." Harry said, suddenly a dark shadow passing through his eyes. Teddy backed away some paces from the shocking difference and then followed him out to the waiting area.

"Go home, I heard Victoire is having a belated birthday party. Go there." Harry called over his shoulder, getting out the Auror offices and leaving Teddy with Mrs. Pale.

Teddy went back to his flat in London. He was still undecided as to what to do. He wanted to go and see her, but still, that kiss was fresh in his memory and just remembering made his blood boil. What made him more anxious was not knowing exactly what had happened. He had seen them kiss, and to Teddy it was pretty obvious that Victoire was two-timing him, but why would she kiss him in the platform where she knew all their relatives and him were watching. The Auror in him said it made no sense, but the jealous bloke kept shouting at him that it was all over. After pondering for some hours, (and Jaime and John pestering him to go) he decided to talk to her directly. If it was all over, he needed to know.

He Apparated to the beach near Shell Cottage. He could see the house from the distance and the lights were on and he could hear the bass of the music pounding. _Bill and Fleur must not be home,_ he thought as he made his way towards it. There was people everywhere, there were kids outside the house drinking from bottles, there were kids inside dancing and kissing and there was a particular couple in the couch that was almost taking their clothes off.

"Vic!" Teddy called above the crowd, he couldn't see her anywhere. "Victoire!"

Teddy kept making his way inside the house. In the kitchen there were several guys making neon beverages with magic, it resembled a Potions class, but with alcohol. _What's going on?_ , Teddy asked himself. He took a drink from the counter and to his surprise it was actually pretty good.

"Nice, eh?" one of the blokes said to him. "It's called Dragon's Breath. My own creation. Some vodka and firewhiskey with dragon scales and red ale."

"Yeah, brilliant." Teddy said, looking down at the red liquid in his hand. "Have you seen Victoire?"

"Who's Victoire?" the guy asked, going back to mixing and enchanting plastic cups. People were gathering in the kitchen as the improvised bartenders made a show out of it. Teddy made his way back to the living room and to his surprise, the bloke on the couch heavily making out with a pretty brunette was Louis.

"Oi!" Teddy called to him, grabbing him by the collar, and separating him from his partner.

"What're you doing!?" Louis exclaimed, anger making its way to his face. But upon seeing Teddy's equally angry face, he sheepishly greeted him. "Oh, hi, Teddy."

"Come with me!" he said, taking Louis to the upstairs landing. "What is going on, Louis? Who're these people?"

"I don't know!" Louis said, losing his footing and resting on the wall to avoid falling facedown.

"Are you drunk?" Teddy asked, inspecting his face. "For Merlin's sake! You're fifteen."

"I'm not entirely drunk, I just had a bit!" he said, his eyes glazed.

"Stay still." Teddy said, pointing his wand at him. Teddy did a sobering charm and instantly Louis grabbed his head and complained of a headache. "It's a secondary effect, now please don't get drunk anymore. Where's Victoire?"

"Ugh." Louis said, his head still in his hands. "I think she's in her room."

Teddy left Louis in the second floor bathroom so he could puke out the contents of his stomach in peace and then went to look for Victoire. He knocked on the door, but there was no response, so he opened it slowly.

"Victoire?" he asked, his eyes adjusting to the darkness within. For a second he feared she was there with some other bloke, but as the worriness made its way to his mind, he caught a glimpse of Victoire reading a book in bed with the light of her wand.

"Close the door!" she said, when she looked at him. She put down her book and looked at him with expectant eyes.

"What's going on?" Teddy asked, coming closer and sitting with her on the bed. "Who are all these people?"

"I have no idea." Victoire said pathetically. "Haley wanted me to do a party so she could get me drunk because I didn't have an official drunk party when I became of age. But things just started getting out of hand, and Mama and Papa are coming back at midnight and I don't know what to do. And I think Louis is drunk somewhere and Haley disappeared and Dominique was avoiding Charlie and I think she went away to the beach or something."

"I found Louis and I sobered him up." Teddy said. "But I didn't see anyone else."

"Could you help me get rid of everybody?" Victoire pleaded. "Please."

"I wanted to talk with you, actually." Teddy said, looking at her miserable form inside the covers. "You and I better talk after I get rid of this mess."

"Thank you!" she said, getting out of bed and following Teddy out of the room.

Teddy went downstairs again, the music was even louder than before and the kids were all intoxicated. He aimed his wand to his own throat and performed an amplifying charm for his voice. He took out his Auror badge (Auror in training badge, but the kids were not aware of that), and then he said in a nice crisp voice that was heard clearly above the music:

"This is Auror Lupin," he began flashing everyone his badge. "I have a report of underage drinking and illegal distribution of potions, this is a warning, get out now or I'll arrest everyone in this party at once."

The response was automatic, most of the kids Disapparated, taking in side-along Apparition those who couldn't, and the rest of them went out to retrieve their brooms and fly away or took the Floo way out. Two blokes remained slouched in the couch, one had puked all over his robes, and the other one was unconscious but still clean. Teddy scurgified the first one, and sobered both of them up.

"Get out, I'm an Auror." he said flashing his badge again to the complaining kids. They instantly ran outside and grabbed their brooms, the living room was empty then.

"You stay here. Start cleaning up." Teddy ordered Victorie. She was looking down from the second floor railing with an awestruck face. She simply nodded and descended the stairs with her wand out. "I'll look for Dominique and Haley."

Teddy went upstairs. First he knocked on the bathroom. "Are you alright, buddy?"

"Yeah," he heard Louis calling from the other side of the door. "I almost feel normal a- ughhk!"

"Just stay there until you feel nothing's coming out of your mouth." Teddy said, moving on to the next door. He could hear shuffling inside Dominique's room, so he opened the door at once. He saw Dominique and Charlie making out on Dominique's bed, they were under the covers, but Teddy could clearly see the underwear and clothes that were littering the floor. They were completely naked under it.

"Fucking hell!" he said, closing the door again. He heard how the teenagers jumped from the bed and shuffled looking for their clothes. After several minutes, he opened the door again, and found a very red Dominique straightening up her summer dress, still barefoot, and an embarrassed Charlie buttoning up his shirt. Teddy massaged his temples, trying to wrap his head around it.

"We didn't do-" Dominique began.

"Save it, Dom." Teddy said, cutting her off. "Take a preventive potion, please."

"I will…" she said in a small voice.

"And Charlie, please go home before I murder you." Teddy said calmly, still trying to asses the situation.

Charlie didn't need to hear it twice, he almost ran out the door and left Dominique with Teddy.

"I won't tell." Teddy began. "But please, please, wait until you're officially of age. First Louis and then you, you guys are full of surprises. Unpleasant surprises."

"Thanks, Teddy." Dominique murmured.

"Have you seen Haley?" Teddy asked her.

"I saw her in the garden some hours ago." she said, still red in the face, but a little smile creeping to her face.

When Teddy found Haley passed out behind a bush in the garden he felt relieved. _At least she's of age,_ he thought, and carried her inside.

"Could you get her to my bed?" Victoire asked, enchanting the broom and mop to clean the kitchen floor. "I'm almost done."

Teddy did as she instructed. He placed Haley in Victoire's bed and covered her to her chin. Watching the sleeping girl peacefully breathe in her slumber, Teddy began worrying about his relationship again. This was not the mess he had thought he was getting into tonight. He wanted to question Victoire, he had thought they were going to scream at each other, that they probably were going to break up, but instead he had landed in another dangerous situation for his career: Underage drinking and sexing was not where he ought to be.

"Teddy." he heard Victoire motioning for him by the door of her room. He went out, flicking the lights out and closing the door behind him. Victoire raised her hand, and in it she had a firewhiskey bottle.

"What's this?" he asked.

"We didn't get to drink tonight." she said shrugging her shoulders. "Let's talk."

Teddy followed her downstairs and then outside the house to the beach. The beach was one of his favorite places on earth. He shared many childhood memories with Victoire right in that beach, they played in it when they were infants, and as they grew older, they used to campfire, and they learnt to swim at the shore. Apparently she liked it too, because she sighed in amazement and sat down in the sand a few meters away from the water. He followed suit. They could see the house from that distance, but most likely, no one in the house would be able to spot them in the darkness.

Victoire unscrewed the lid on the bottle and took a quick swing. She coughed and grabbed her throat.

"How can people actually like that?" she said, still coughing.

"It's an acquired taste." Teddy said, grabbing the bottle from her and taking his own swing. Sure enough, he felt the burn in his throat, but didn't cough. He pulled up his knees and watched the horizon, trying to get the courage to ask Victoire what had happened.

"Let me drink from it again." she said, getting the bottle from him.

She took a swing and just as the bottle was upside down, Teddy asked:

"Were you cheating on me?"

Victoire spat out what she had on her mouth and looked at him with wondering eyes. She scanned his face, the silence lingering between them, and then she took a swing again from the bottle, handing it back to Teddy.

"That's why you haven't talk to me at all this past week?" she asked, sighing.

"Were you?"

"No!" she said, looking at him in the pale moonlight. "I thought you had grown tired of me."

"What?" Teddy asked, swinging the bottle. "Then, what was that about?"

"With Nott?" she asked, making a face.

"Yes, with bloody Nott." he spat, feeling annoyed.

"He kissed me."

"I could see that." Teddy said, looking at the sand, and fisting it, letting it go between his fingers. "What I want to know is why was he kissing you."

"Don't get mad." she said.

"How can I not get mad after another fucking bloke was kissing my girlfriend." he said, taking another swing.

"It's a long story, and you haven't heard the particulars and I'm afraid if you do, you won't feel the same for me." she said, picking up her knees and grabbing them with her arms.

"If it involves you cheating on me, then I'll definitely not feel the same towards you." he said harshly.

"I told you I didn't cheat!" she said, a little louder. "But it has to do with things that happened before you and I-"

"I don't care about before, I care about what happened at the bloody platform last week."

"Fine!" she said, getting the bottle back and taking another swing, this time the burn in her throat was milder. "He asked me to date him, to properly be boyfriend and girlfriend this time. And I rejected him several times, and he insisted that I should give him a chance, and at the train I told him I didn't even like him that way, so he said goodbye in the platform, and he kissed me without my consent."

"What do you mean properly be boyfriend and girlfriend?" Teddy asked, straightening his legs. "I thought you…"

"We were never going out." Victoire confessed. A small silence followed in which she took another sip from the bottle. "We just did stuff, but I never really liked him that way."

Teddy looked at her with dazed eyes. He couldn't believe Victoire would just jump into bed with him without love mixed in somehow. A wide range of emotions passed through Teddy's mind: he was confused with this side of Victoire, and he was slightly angry at her for being so careless around Nott, and he was hurt because she didn't wait for him a little longer, and he was somewhat relieved that she never really had feelings for him.

"What exactly did you-?" Teddy stopped himself from asking, because just as the words were getting out of his mouth he realised he didn't really care what she had done. And more than that, he didn't want to know.

"We didn't have sex." Victoire answered anyway. Teddy turned his head again to see her. The thin moonlight was making her silver-blond hair shine, and her blue eyes were sparkling, her soft white skin looking like a fluffy marshmallow. He suddenly felt the urge to lovingly bite her cheek. He shook his head.

"It's true." she said, seeing Teddy's head shake. "I couldn't do it with him because I was not in love with him. He just touched me a little and that's about it. I kept shutting him down because I was still waiting."

"Waiting?" Teddy said, feeling himself blush. He already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear Victoire say it, he wanted to feel the swell in his heart that would come from her saying that even though she was with another man, she still was thinking about him, she still was in love with him.

"Fo you." she whispered. "I told you, it has always been you."

Maybe it was the firewhiskey that was finally kicking in, or it was because he was extremely relieved, or because he knew he would be completely trapped in Victoire's arms for the rest of his life, but just as Victoire finished her sentence, Teddy tackled her to the sand, and kissed her on the mouth.

At first, Victoire was shocked, she remained lying down on the sand feeling Teddy's weight on top of her, her lips were sealed and her arms were sprawled on the ground. Her brain was processing the information at a slow pace, probably because of the alcohol, and when she finally realised that Teddy was kissing her with passion, she let go. Her lips found the right shape and her fingers were immediately interwoven in his hair. He kept kissing her, his elbows trying to ease the weight off of her, his legs inserting themselves between hers.

Victoire pushed him off after several seconds. He was taken aback, thinking that perhaps he had done something wrong, but Victoire's sly smile convinced him otherwise. She pushed him all the way back to the sand, and she mounted him. Teddy was completely surprised, grabbing her hips and caressing her sides. She leaned down and kissed him, her lips tracing small kissed at the outlines of his mouth, and then softly pecking him, her hands resting on his chest. He smiled at her ministrations and then pulled her head to his, his tongue immediately inserting itself in her mouth. Victoire moaned, and that sent shivers to Teddy's spine, his member was suddenly hard and Victoire's weight over it was making him uncomfortable.

"Wait." he said, grabbing her by the waist and making her lift her weight. He sat down, and kissed her quickly on the mouth. _We should get back to the house before I can't control myself,_ Teddy thought. But she looked at him with expectant eyes and then she lowered her eyes to the bulge on his pants and giggled. "Don't laugh."

"I love you." she said, pushing him back to the sand. He laid down, an arm under his head so he could see Victoire, his thoughts completely forgotten. She sat down between his legs, and then she took her top off, revealing a lacy bra underneath it. Teddy gulped. He had never seen such a perfect sight, she was glowing underneath the moonlight and the freckles she was sporting on her shoulders made him shiver. He strived to touch her, but hesitated, his hand twitching on top of his stomach.

Victoire made a move to remove her bra too. Teddy couldn't stop looking, his breathing had become heavier and he couldn't move his eyes from her chest. He watched as she unclasped it and it fell from her chest all the way down. Her breasts were swelled and her perked nipples were a pinkish color, small and inviting. They made a perfect curve that Teddy could almost trace with his mind, her whole figure reminded him of a rainy day, or the foam of the sea, like a natural occurrence that's beautiful without meaning to.

"I love you, too." he said, unable to think of something else, but what his heart was shouting at him. Victoire smiled and laid down beside him, her eyes glinting. He sat down and removed his shirt. Victoire traced his bare column with her fingertips. He turned around, slowly laying down beside her, his head propped up on his hand and his other one resting on her stomach. He leaned down to kiss her and she responded with fervor, her tongue instantly finding its way in. His hand went up slowly, until he felt with his fingertips the underside of her breast. After some minutes of staying like that, he finally summed up the courage to touch her fully. He rested his palm on top of her breast, capturing it and pressing down her nipple, she arched her back trying to meet his palm more forcefully, moaning at the contact.

"Oh, Merlin." Teddy whispered, moving on from her mouth to her jaw, and then to her neck. He pinched her nipple and she made a sudden intake of breath, holding it in, and then releasing it with a pleasure sound. His mouth was still descending, and her legs started twitching in anticipation. When his wet mouth finally touched her nipple, she dissolved, her whole body asking her for more, her head thrown back and moaning in pleasure. It never felt so good when she was with Nott, and she was craving more, she wanted his mouth on other places, not only on her breasts, but on her stomach, between her legs, on her core. He sucked and licked and it was driving Victoire insane, it was too much to bear.

"Please, Teddy." Victoire said. "Let's do it."

Teddy stopped what he was doing to look at her face. She was fluster, her cheeks red and her eyes were glistening. He wanted to, he really did. But he had a suspicion she was not completely sober anymore, and he was not sure sober Victoire would have asked for the same thing. He kissed her again on the mouth, and then he flopped on the sand beside her, getting his arm wrapped up around her shoulders and her head on his chest. He kissed the top of her head and then said:

"Not today, Vic. Let's wait a little bit longer."

"Why?" she whined.

"Because I love you."

After some time, they dressed again. Teddy had been right, Victoire had been tipsy, and she fell asleep in his arms after some minutes. Teddy had wanted to wake her up before her parents came home, but just as she did, he fell asleep too, and he dreamt about her, just to open his eyes to the sublime pink morning light, and Victoire's sweet sleeping face next to him. _Paradise,_ he thought. And after contemplating her for several minutes, he woke her up, and they walked to the house, hand in hand.

"Go inside before Bill and Fleur wake up." Teddy said, getting a long strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I love you, Teddy."

"I love you too, Victoire,"

He knew, right as he Apparated to his flat, that his hair had been bubble-gum pink the whole time.


	17. Summer

17\. Summer

"Are we talking to him tonight?" Victoire asked, stretching lazily on the sand. They had taken upon relaxing on the beach on Sundays. Teddy grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him, making her rest her head on his chest. Victoire realised this was Teddy's favorite position to lay down.

"You want to do it tonight?" he asked, scratching her scalp.

"I, frankly, don't want to do it at all." she said, squeezing his middle. "But I can tell he already suspects something, so if we're going to do it, now might as well be the perfect time."

"And what are we saying?" Teddy said, stretching too.

"That you love me, and want to have his permission to date me." she said simply.

"If he kills me, I'll hunt you." Teddy said, laughing.

"I don't think Bill's going to kill you. He talked with Charlie last week, and it was awkward and painful, but he accepted it."

"Dominique must have been thrilled." Teddy commented lazily.

"Yes, and no." Victoire said, raising from his chest and sitting cross legged in the sand. She was sporting a blue-striped bikini and jean shorts, that were ripped at the bottom. "Now whenever Charlie comes to visit, Papa sits with them. Dominique said it was hard to get even a snog with Papa in the room."

"Ugh, I hope that helps them calm down a bit." Teddy grumbled.

"Yes, I think they had taken it a bit slower since you found them in her room." Victoire laughed. "I think Dominique grew up too fast."

"Harry and Ginny already know." Teddy confessed, sitting in the sand too. He was shirtless, his swimming trunks a bright neon blue, his favorite color. "I told them last week. I couldn't help it."

"What did Uncle Harry said?" she asked, feeling herself blush.

"He asked me why did we waited this long." Teddy laughed, caressing Victoire's shoulder, looking at her freckles. Victoire beamed, and hugged Teddy by the neck.

"I really love you, Ted." she said, giggling. "I can't stop saying it."

Teddy laughed too, squeezing her frame with equal force and burying his face in her hair. He kissed her neck.

"Don't stop saying it, then. I love you too." he said, kissing between her jaw and her ear. Both of them embraced for a while under the blazing sun, and after their skin had turned red, they went out for a swim at the sea. The water was cool and salty, and their bodies were hot and loving. Laughing with Teddy had always been a given, but Victoire realised that it was not the same laugh, it was not the same happiness, it had intensified and transformed into something completely different. They were no longer Teddy and Victoire, they had combined into something so much better. Those snippets of happiness made their whole relationship so much better, and she didn't understand how could they have been apart for so many years.

After the sun had set, they made their way towards the house. Fleur was already finishing dinner, Dominique was setting the table, and when both of them came in by the door, Dominique asked Teddy if he was staying for dinner.

"Sure thing." he said, his hair instantly changing from bubble-gum pink to his usual vivid blue.

"Ted Lupin," Fleur came out of the kitchen with a large covered tray. "You better put on a shirt, young man!"

"Yes, yes, Fleur." Teddy said, winking at Victoire and getting a shirt from the duffle bag he had brought.

"Where's Papa and Louis?" Victoire asked while Teddy put on his shirt and looked at himself in the mirror in the living room.

"I'm right here." Louis called from the staircase, coming down at the smell of his mother's roast.

"Bill!" Fleur called sitting down at the table, the children did the same, and soon enough they heard Bill's grumbles from the stairs.

"What's wrong?" Victoire asked Fleur.

"Some stuff with work and you know the Goblins." Fleur said knifing the roast and getting it into the plates.

"Those damned Goblins always make matters worse, I'm telling you. I have been owling the Head of the Financial Division for the past three hours and even him can't fix the problem because of the Goblins." Bill said, slouching down on the chair and taking his roast almost raw from the other tray on the table. "They refuse to give us access to the records claiming we're gonna make a mess out of it, and they will never accept that there's a security breach. I'm heading to a bloody mess on Monday."

"It's alright, mon chérie, let's not talk about work at the dinner table." Fleur said, touching her husband's arm affectionately.

"Yes, you're right." Bill sighed, trying to calm down. "Teddy, we haven't had you for dinner for quite a while."

"Yes, sir. We were down at the beach and they insisted." Teddy said, scratching his scalp.

"Of course, Teddy. You're always welcome in this family." Fleur said, serving him an extra portion of roast and potatoes.

"Thanks." Teddy mumbled. He lowered his eyes, and then stole a glimpse in Victoire's direction. "Actually, I have a motive to be here tonight."

"Teddy…" Victoire whispered, elbowing him lightly. It was not the right time, then. She wished he could have waited at least until her siblings were not in the room. It was not a family matter, it was a matter between Victoire and Teddy.

"What is it, Ted?" Bill asked, looking at his daughter, too.

"Maybe we could talk privately after dinner?" he volunteered, feeling his face turn a nasty shade of red. He shook his head to make it go away, but he was sure Bill had seen it.

"Is everything alright?" Bill asked, searching Teddy's features. "You know you can talk to us about anything, you're like a son to me."

Teddy colored again at the sound of Bill's words. He had never thought Bill would consider him part of his family. He had always been at Shell Cottage near Victoire, Bill and Harry had taken him to his first Quidditch match, and Bill had gifted him his first broom. But those things were always obscured by the fact that Bill had his own children. _Will he still like me after what I'm gonna tell him?_ , Teddy thought, gulping down some potatoes.

"Yes, of course. I just want to consult you about something." he said, glancing again at Victoire. Victoire blushed slightly and then stuffed her mouth with roast to avoid her father's eyes.

Dinner was alright. After the awkward moment of Teddy's plea, the matter was quickly left behind by Louis's and Dominique's fight over who would spend the next weekend with Charlie. Dominique was tired of Bill and Louis always interrupting her alone time with her boyfriend, and Fleur settled the matter by inviting Charlie over for some days.

"That's perfect, Love." Bill exclaimed, laughing. "Better have him under scrutiny right at home."

"Oh, please!" Dominique said, covering her face. "I shouldn't have told you about him."

"Oh, mon chou, I'm sure your father will let you out to some dates while he's here." Fleur said, elbowing Bill.

"Fine, fine." he said, grumbling. "But no kissing or touching or whatever, he'll be a meter away from you at all times!"

"Urgh!" Dominique exclaimed, getting up from the table and running up stairs.

"You shouldn't tell her that." Fleur said, getting up to fetch the plates. "You could be a little more supportive with your daughter."

"I think it's an awesome plan, Papa." Louis said.

"You be quiet," Fleur said fiercely to her son. "I am not happy with you either."

"What did I do?" Louis asked, naively. "I'm just saying-"

"It's not your place to say." Fleur said, pointedly looking at him and then at Bill. "she's a teenage girl, and it's normal for her to have a boyfriend. And the fact that her boyfriend happened to be your friend, should give you happiness, not bitterness."

"But Mama-" Louis began, but was cut short by Bill.

"Alright, Louis. I think we should listen to your mother." Bill said, knowing full well that her anger was not to be trifled with. If he continued with the attitude, there was a chance he would have worst problems at home than at work. Louis looked at him with a frown, and then stood up from the table and mumbled "Whatever" under his breath going up stairs into his own room.

"This teenage kids are going to be the death of me." Bill said, joking with Teddy. Teddy laughed in a nervous manner. He stole a glance at Victoire, who was awkwardly sitting down at the table.

"I'll help you, Mama." she said, getting more empty plates from the table and following her mum into the kitchen. Bill and Teddy remained sitting down, Teddy looking for the courage to ask for Bill's permission,

"Bill…" he adventured. "I kind of wanted to…"

"Oh right. You wanted to talk about something?" Bill said, getting his attention to him.

"You know I've always been close to Victoire and-" Teddy began.

"Oh no." Bill said, sighing. He scratched his head and then said: "Let's go talk in the office."

Both of them stood up and walked up to a room at the side of the house. The room served as a kind of library and office in which there were big wooden desks stacked with papers and armchairs and bookshelves with books falling out. Bill asked Teddy to sit down and he did so in one of the armchairs, Bill took the other armchair, but then he stood up again and looked around the room for a bit.

"I wish Victoire could have given me a heads up." Bill mumbled, sitting down again and then looking at Teddy. He sighed again and said: "Ok, I'm ready."

"A heads up? You already know what I'm about to say?" Teddy asked, hopeful.

"I've known you since you were a day old, Teddy. And I've seen you grow up. I think it was when Victoire was in her third year, when I started to notice this things. And Fleur said it was only natural for you to develop feelings, but when you finished Hogwarts and nothing seemed to have changed between you, I thought we might have avoided it all together. But I see I was wrong."

"Third year?" Teddy asked, doing the math in his head. Was it possible that he was in love with her since he was fifteen. _No,_ Teddy thought, _it was even before that._ He suddenly felt his chest contrite, he couldn't remember a time in which Victoire wouldn't make him nervous, or a time in which he hadn't miss her when she was not around. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"No, no." Bill said, shaking his head vigorously. "I'm not saying it was a bad thing, I'm just… What I meant was that… I'm afraid you are going to get hurt."

"What?"

"You're like a son to me, and Victoire is my daughter, I have always been afraid that you guys would end up breaking each other's hearts." Bill said, sighing again, but feeling a little more relaxed now that he had spoken his mind.

"I think…" Teddy said, considering hard what Bill had just told him. "I think we waited this long because it was the right time. If we had realised we loved each other sooner, we would have made a mess of it. But I think now we're mature enough to value this feelings and each other. I'm not saying we're not going to fight or anything…"

"So is it official?" Bill asked.

"I guess so." Teddy said. "At least since the beginning of the summer."

"I think I don't have to warn you, boy. She's my sweet little girl, and I'll appreciate it if she stays that way." Bill said, adopting a more somber tone.

"Yes, of course." Teddy said, feeling slightly guilty for lying to him. He was more than conscious that that promise was going to be broken at the first opportunity he got.

"Then don't worry about it too much, Ted." Bill said. "I know you love her, and she loves you. I'm not blind."

"Thank you, Bill." Teddy came out of the room feeling confident. He went over to the kitchen and told Victoire and Fleur that he needed to go home. He needed to tell his grandmum about this. He hugged Victoire before departing, and Fleur watched with a knowing smile.

The next weekend, Victoire was eagerly waiting for Teddy to come and fetch her. She had received his letter that he had somewhere special he wanted to take her to. And obviously she had dressed with utmost care that afternoon: she opted for a pretty spaghetti-strap yellow shirt and tight jeans. She paced the living room of Shell Cottage up and down, looking out the window to the Apparition zone. But then she heard a knock in the door. She went to answer, and there was her boyfriend with a broom on his shoulder.

"So we're flying there?" she asked, stepping outside to get her broom from the tiny broom cupboard.

"Try to keep up, Weasley." Teddy said, a smirk on his face. "If I leave you behind I'm not coming back for you."

"Oh," Victoire said mounting her broom. "you don't even stand a chance, Lupin!"

She flew up high, blinding Teddy momentarily because of the sun. He laughed out loud, and then went to follow her to the highest cloud. They swirled for a little bit between the condensation, shaking water droplets from their clothes and hair. Victoire looked back at Teddy and he had his eyes set on her, making her squeal from happiness. She dive into the massive cloud and emerged at the other side, just to discover Teddy had rushed past her and now was flying backwards in front of her, taunting her with his goofy grin.

"Too fast for you, Vicky?" he called and then turned and dove into another cloud. Victoire, disgusted by the pet name, dove too into the cloud, following him closely, just to realised, the moment they emerged from the cloud, that they were heading to Diagon Alley.

"We're going to London?" she asked, pairing up with him, flying along his side, a bit disappointed with the turn of events. "We're going to buy supplies?"

"No." Teddy said, smiling. "We're going to dinner."

"Where? The Leaky Cauldron?" she asked again, her disappointment now apparent.

Teddy laughed out loud over the wind. "It's a surprise, Vicky."

"Don't use that name!" she said, scrunching her face.

"What's wrong, Vicky?" he asked, again, laughing. "Come on, we're almost there."

Teddy dove again, spotting Diagon Alley over the rooftops of other magical buildings. Victoire followed him reluctantly. They descended into the middle of Diagon Alley, some passersby fumbling out of the way. Teddy immediately dismounted his broom and placed it over his shoulder, grabbing Victoire's hand and leading her to a row of buildings in an adjacent alley.

"Those are the Auror Headquarters." Teddy said, pointing with his chin to a large marble building at the corner of the street. "That's where I mostly do my training, and where some dormitories are located, but the Head Aurors and Investigators have their offices a few blocks down at a Department in the Ministry."

"Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron?"

"Just Harry. Ron likes to do training more than investigating, so his office is here." Teddy explained, still walking with Victoire's hand safely tucked in his. "I'll let you in some other time."

"I had never seen these buildings before." she said, looking around the street.

"Well, they're meant to be inconspicuous as most of these are flats for Aurors and some other Ministry officials." Teddy said casually. The buildings were indeed inconspicuous, they were brick buildings with metallic fences and small windows, and although you could clearly see them, Victoire's eyesight felt forced whenever she tried to focus on them, as if she was not meant to look at them too long.

"So you live here?" she asked, averting her hurting eyes to his face. His smile became wider and a pretty blush was splashing his cheeks.

"Yes." he said, tugging at her hand. "Right here."

He stood in front of a specific fence and opened it up, walking to the front door and getting his key in the keyhole. Victoire followed him without thinking and just as he opened the door and a smell that slightly resembled that of an enclosed humid space and wet earth, she realised they were going inside his apartment, without anybody else watching over them.

"What about your roommates?" Victoire asked, suddenly nervous, just as Teddy opened another door at the third floor marked with the letter D. The door opened into a large living space with two couches, a medium sized bookshelf, and a small kitchen in the far corner. The room was clean, but indeed it was deserted.

"They're out for the day." he said, smiling sublimely, leading Victoire inside. "They have Auror duty today, and they'll kindly stay away until I tell them so."

Victoire looked around the apartment, looking through the books of the bookshelf and getting her eye on the artwork of the walls (some Quidditch posters and a poster of a girl in a bikini), and then turning towards the kitchen and the smell of freshly made pasta.

"We're having dinner here?" she asked, inspecting the pots and the salad that was resting on the little kitchen table.

"Yes." he said, his hair was bubble-gum pink and his eyes were sparkling with emotion. "I would like to say I cooked for you, but that proved to be a disaster, so my grandmum helped me a bit. I have to confess I just heated everything up."

"I have to thank Andromeda the next time I see her." she said, closing the space between them, walking towards him as he was still in the living room. She kissed him, feeling a deep gash of sweetness invade her chest. He kissed her back, but immediately backed away and went to the kitchen.

"So," he said, getting the lid off the nearest pot. "Are you hungry?"

As dinner advanced, Victoire felt more nervous. She didn't know why she was so fidgety, but by the time she had finished the last of her pasta, she was visibly shaking.

"Are you alright?" Teddy asked, stretching his hand across the tiny table and resting it over Victoire's. "You look a bit pale."

"Yes. Yes." she said, shakily. "Are you going to show me your room?"

"My room?" he asked, scanning her face. "Are you sure you're fine?"

"Yes!" she said standing up. She grabbed her plate and Teddy's and left them in the sink. She turned around to see him and he was cluelessly looking at her. She wished they could just get it over with, because frankly it was making her dizzy. She wanted to enjoy it, she truly did, but the nervousness and the expectations of it were killing her. "Show me."

Teddy stood up from the table, he held her hand again and they slowly walked to another door near the entrance to the flat. He opened the door, blushing immensely, and showed the tiny room to Victoire. There was a small desk, a double-sized bed and some drawers. That was it. Victoire sat down at the bed, she looked at Teddy with expectant eyes. She was really nervous and shaking, but she wanted to do it. She felt herself blush, and lowered her eyes, wishing he would just jump her.

"Are you coming?" she asked, peeking at his form still at the frame of the door. He came in, closing the door behind him.

The next thing Victoire felt was Teddy's lips resting over hers. He kissed her delicately, grabbing both sides of her head and introducing his tongue inside her mouth. He still tasted like pasta and bread, she kind of liked it. She backed away to the head of the bed, and then she rested her head on his pillow. He followed her, his eyes never leaving her face. His body was on top of hers, he was careful to not crush her underneath him, supporting his weight on his elbows. He leaned down and kissed her again, this time with more passion and fervor, he introduced his tongue again and Victoire's hands automatically went to his hair and the nape of his neck. His hands grabbed her shoulders from behind, and squeezed her in a tender manner. Her legs started wriggling with anticipation, interlocking them with his.

Victoire then lowered her hands through his front, feeling the tensed muscles that were beneath his white t-shirt, and arriving at the hem, she tugged, prompting him to remove it. In a second, Teddy was shirtless, his attention and mouth completely dedicated to Victoire's neck and the visible part of her collarbone and shoulders. She had never seen that look in Teddy's face, he looked older and his eyes were alight with fire, but they were different than Nott's. Nott's was desperation and quickness and physical urge, Teddy's were love and passion and admiration.

"I love you." she whispered, kissing the side of his face that was visible to her. His elbows had completely given out by then and he was crushing her, but to Victoire, Teddy was not heavy at all. His mouth was kissing her shoulder, tugging at the straps. She let him lower them, her bra showing, and his mouth was conquering more terrain as the time passed. Victoire could feel Teddy's member by then, poking her leg. She sat up, making Teddy flop onto the bed, panting, his eyes still not leaving Victoire. She removed her shirt first, leaving on her tan colored bra. She turned to look at him, at the way he was looking at her, not only at her body, but at her, the whole thing, and upon seeing those huge brown eyes trying to look at her all at once, Victoire unhooked her bra too.

As her bra fell from her chest she felt completely exposed, and suddenly she felt ashamed. She covered her chest with her arms and turned to look at Teddy again. He was waiting for her to do the first move, just laying there, his hands over his stomach. She was inconceivably more nervous now than before, she gulped and let her arms uncover her, she turned her body to Teddy, allowing him to see her fully.

Teddy sat up too, taking her mouth into his once again, grabbing the back of her head and softly pushing her gain to the mattress. They kissed for what seemed hours to Victoire, and as Teddy's kisses increased in demand and fervor, she found herself willing to show him more, to look at more, to experiment more. She unbuttoned his trousers, immediately taking her hands away, grabbing his hips and aligning them to hers. Teddy looked down at his unbuttoned trousers and back at Victoire's face. She was not smiling, but her face was extremely flustered and her lips were half-opened, her chest was heaving and Teddy's mind instantly went into overdrive. He couldn't think about anything else that wasn't sex and love and how utterly perfect Victoire's face was going to look like submerged in ecstasy. So he let go and getting on his back, he removed his trousers, his hard on entirely perceptible under his pants.

Teddy returned to his position over Victoire and kissed her mouth and then her neck, getting farther down to her breasts, teasing her nipples with his wet mouth and enjoying as she squirmed under his touch, moaning softly at first, but as his tongue played with her, she was dissolving in love sounds. Teddy went further down, kissing the underside of her boobs, and lower still, inserting his tongue on her navel. And then kissing over the top button of her jeans. He inspected her face, and she still had the same expression: expectant and lusting. He unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them out. When Teddy's eyes fixed on her still covered sex, he was so in awe that he felt a prickling sensation behind his eyes. He hadn't realise how much he was anticipating that moment. She squirmed a little more, opening her legs a bit to let him see her panty-covered core. He gulped. He just thought it for a fraction of a second, and decided that they still had too much clothes on. He took off his pants, his member springing free, hard and pulsating, directly to the air. Victoire was looking at him, staring at his member with parted lips, her face a red blob. He rested his hands on Victoire's hips, lowering his head to plant a quick kiss on her navel once again. He grabbed the elastic of her panties and, checking her still lusting face, he removed her panties.

Victoire had soft white-blond curls sheltering her vulva, he could see them glistening from her wetness and he touched her gingerly, getting his fingers between her legs and just caressing her folds, almost tickling her. She wriggled even more, trying to connect more forcefully her core with his fingers. But he removed his hand and got his hips between her legs, getting his mouth again over hers, ravishing her with kisses. He could feel the tip of his penis touching her wetness, and how her legs and arms had hugged him, he also felt the heaviness of her breath, and the shakiness of her form. He separated his face from hers to ask her if she wanted to do it, he just needed to move his hips forward and he was going to be inside her. He was dying, his hips were itching to just thrust and insert himself, but he was containing as best as he could. Victoire's face was slightly contorted, she was red and her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. Her face had changed in an instant, and he feared he might have gone too far.

"Are you okay?" he asked, worriness instantly sipping to his voice. He touched her cheek, trying to comfort her, but as his words departed his mouth, Victoire's tears departed her eyes.

"No, no." Teddy said, getting off of her. "Don't cry."

Teddy pulled the covers from underneath them, quickly getting it over Victoire and himself, covering all the bits that normally one wouldn't show. Victoire's hands were hiding her face, and she was shuddering, her tears spilling from between her fingers.

"I'm-I- I'm sorry." she sobbed, getting her hands away and fisting the blanket more tightly around her chest. Teddy pulled her towards him, making her rest her head on his chest, and getting an arm under his head.

"Don't apologize. It's fine." he said in a soothing voice, caressing the top of her head. "I'm sorry."

"You brought me here to- and I just- I ruined it." she said, grabbing him tightly from the middle.

"I brought you here to have dinner." he said, still caressing her head. "Whatever might have happened was not part of the original plan. You didn't ruin anything, what's more, you made me happier today."

"I'm a bit...scared." she whispered.

"Me too." Teddy said. "I had never felt like this and it's kind of scary."

"You too?" she asked, lifting her head to look at him. Her eyes were still glinting, but she seemed to have calmed down. Teddy nodded.

"We don't have to do it yet, alright? I know we said that after talking to Bill we would try it, but if you don't want to… We can wait. There's no rush." Teddy said, pulling her again to him. She rested her head on his chest once again, and hugged him tightly.

"I love you." she said.

"I love you too, Vic." he said kissing the top of her head.

Summer vacation went by in a rush. After that afternoon in Teddy's flat, they had several other encounters, but they refrained from having sex. They would touch and they would hold each other and exchange loving words, but sex was still greater than what they were prepared to do, so they felt content and happy with their relationship as it was: best friends and best lovers.

And soon enough, September first came crashing into their little weekend rituals. Teddy went with the whole family to the platform that day and as they were waiting for the train to depart, he took Victoire apart so he could kiss her for the last time in some months.

"You're going to come see me, right?" Victoire asked with apprehension.

"As soon as I can." he said, hugging her. He had taken her beside a large column at the back of the platform, and although they were not completely hidden from all passersby, they were hidden from their family.

"Remember that the first Quidditch game is in November!" Victoire said, separating from him so she could see his face. "It will be my first game as captain so you better be there!"

Teddy laughed. "I'll be there. I promise."

"And Hogsmeade? You're coming to those too, right?" she asked.

"All try to get saturdays off just for you." he said, smiling widely.

"I love you, Teddy!" she said, hugging him tightly.

"Oi." Teddy exclaimed, pulling her off. "But no more bets or matchmaking games, alright?!"

Victoire laughed then. "I promise." she said, crossing her heart.

"If another bloke even breathes in your direction tell me, and I'll be there in seconds to punch his bloody face." he said.

"Alright." she said, grabbing his face. "You won't need to, because I'll be only thinking of you."

"I'll be only thinking of you, too." he said, his eyes turning softer and his hair instantly becoming bubble-gum pink. He kissed her, desperately trying to make it last a year's worth so the wait wouldn't be as painful.

"Oi!" they heard a voice beside them, they both turned to look at James Potter looking at them with baffled eyes. "Lupin? What are you doing to my cousin?"

"Oh, sod off, James!" Victoire laughed, pulling Teddy in, kissing him once more.

 **A/N: This is not over yet! One more chapter is coming in the next few days! Please stick with this story to the very end! Thank youuuu! 3**


	18. Epilogue

18\. Epilogue

Ted Lupin opened up the door. It creaked, and a strong smell of cigarettes and coffee came wafting towards his nose. The silence of the room was ominous and the stale feeling in the back of his tongue just proved that he was not at all comfortable with what he was about to see. The carpet was wet, and as he stepped inside the dark room he saw as his shoes drenched themselves in blood. He followed the thick blood trail with his eyes, and just at the center of the room, he could see a young girl with jet black hair sprawled around her head like a crown. As he stepped forward, he could see the paleness of her face and her opened eyes. She was staring directly at him, her grey eyes almost painful to look at. He closed his eyes, and he started to feel dizzy.

"You are not ready for the real thing, trust me." he heard Harry's voice behind him. He spun around as fast as he could. Harry was looking at him from the opened door, his expressión somber, and then he closed the door forcefully, emitting an echo and effectively locking the door.

"Harry!" Teddy called desperately. "Please, open the door!"

He clinged to the door knob, he rattled it, but it wouldn't budge. He pounded on the door, the smell of cigarettes becoming stronger and the blood on the carpet ruining his shoes. He peeked to the girl on the floor, her face was obscured by a shadow and he pounded the door with heavier hands, yelling for Harry or Ron.

"I'm glad there are youngsters still willing to help." Teddy heard Kingsley's booming voice from behind him. He turned his head to see his massive form kneeling down beside the death girl, inspecting the body. "What do you think about this, _Auror_ Lupin?"

"She's death." he said, in a somber tone, still rattling the doorknob behind him.

"She has no eyes." he said, leaning forward.

"She does." he said, leaving the doorknob alone and walking two paces forward. "She has cold grey eyes."

He looked at the girl's face, but she had no eyes then. He turned to look at Kingsley and he was not there anymore. _What happened to you?_ , Teddy thought. He kneeled down beside the body and inspected her with his investigative eye. She had red hair, and freckles and then she had white hair. _Is she a metamorphmagus too?,_ he thought, touching the delicate fibers of her hair and watching it changing from white to blue.

"My baby!" he heard an ear-splitting yell, and when his eyes turned to the noise, he saw Victoire standing at the corner of the room. She came running to him, and then she collapsed on top of the girl, her hands hiding her crying face and her long white-blond hair spilling over the death girl.

"Vicky?" Teddy whispered.

"How could you?!" Victoire sobbed. "How could you let this happen to our baby!"

"She's just a girl." Teddy tried to console her.

"She's _our_ little girl!" Victoire yelled.

"Vic, she's just-" Teddy turned his head to look at the girl, and not only did she had eyes again, she was blinking up at him. Teddy fell down over the blood pool, getting his hands covered in blood. He looked at Victoire's shuddering form and the deathless girl looking up at him, the girl lifted her arms and hugged Victoire. Victoire held her with so much force that the girl started to dissolve, her form broke down and then limbs started to fall out.

"You're breaking her!" Teddy yelled. And then he opened his eyes.

His heartbeat was fast and heavy, and he could feel tears at the corner of his eyes. He turned his head to Victoire's side of the bed, but she was not there. He reached out and felt the empty space was still warm. He sat up, looking for her in the dim light, the sun had barely risen and the room was cold.

"Victoire?" he called out, and out of the bathroom door came his wife.

"Are you alright?" she asked, turning off the light and walking to bed with him.

"I should be the one asking you that." he said, getting his head back to the pillow and pulling Victoire to do the same.

"I just went to the bathroom." she said, her hand on top of Teddy's chest. "Are you sure you're alright? You look shaken."

"I just…" Teddy rolled to his side, Victoire finally placed her head down on her pillow and looked at Teddy. "a nightmare."

"The Annie nightmare?" Victoire asked, grabbing Teddy's hand and kissing it softly.

"Yes…" Teddy mumbled. It had been the Annie nightmare at the beginning, but how could Teddy explain that it had also been a different nightmare this time, that she was part of it. Annie had been his first case when he joined the investigation team two years ago. Harry had been right, he was not ready, at the age of 20 for the real thing, and even though it had also been the first case he solved and he even received an Award for Special Services to the Wizarding Community for it, it still haunted him. "There was someone else in place of Annie this time."

"Who?" Victoire asked, concerned about her husband, she had his hand firmly clasped in hers and Teddy was grateful for that, that even after all those difficult cases, Victoire was still there, and she even had the good grace of marrying him the year before.

Teddy pulled Victoire closer and with the hand Victoire was still grabbing, he traced her stomach. Victoire understood what he was trying to say, her eyes widening with the realisation. She hugged him by the neck, snuggling closer and burying her face on his neck. He did the same, breathing hard and trying with all his might to hold her firmly, so she could understand that he was never going to let anything happen to them.

"You're just nervous about it." she whispered, finally separating from him and looking at his face in the dim early morning light.

"I'm scared out of my mind." he said, truthfully. "If anything happens to… I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."

"What's going to happen?" Victoire asked, sitting up in bed again. "You'll be amazing, and it's going to be alright. I'm here too, and with both of us, everything will be fine."

"Are you not scared?" he asked, sitting up in bed too.

"Frankly," she said, lowering her eyes and looking at her hands. "I don't think the news have settled yet. I still can't believe it."

"It's happening, Vic." he said, laughing. "And we're doing this."

"I know." she said. "What I meant was that it's not showing yet, and our baby is still the size of a seed. It's a little foolish to be panicking now."

"I guess we'll be a mess when the time comes." Teddy said, scratching the back of his head.

"When I'm eight months along and we have all the baby stuff in the other room and I have to take time off St. Mungo's because I can't work anymore: I think that's when I'll start panicking." she said, covering her face.

"Are we telling your parents tomorrow night?" Teddy asked, Bill's angry face popping up in his mind.

"Should we tell Andromeda first?" she asked, no doubt imagining Bill's angry face too.

"You think Bill will kill me? You're just 20 and still an intern and when we got married we said we were going to wait until both of our careers…"

"I don't think it matters anymore. What's done is done, and it wasn't planned, but I don't think Papa will hate it. I think he'll love it."

"Merlin, I seriously hope so." Teddy said, sighing. "I have been pushing his good side for some years now. Last year that I asked him to marry you, you should've seen the face he made. I thought he was having a heart attack."

"We should have given him a heads up." Victoire laughed. "Maybe I can tell Mama before, so she can ease the news to him."

"Maybe." Teddy said, a chuckle escaping his mouth. He turned to look at Victoire, the light was brighter now, and the sun was creeping through the curtains of the tiny room. Victoire's messy hair was shining, her eyes still a bit puffy from sleeping and her skin bristling because of the tank top she was wearing to sleep. She was the most beautiful when she had just woken up, and to Teddy, mornings were his favorite time of day.

"I love you." he said, sliding to her side, grabbing her middle and kissing her noisily on the side of her head. She turned her head and kissed him on the mouth.

"I love you too." she said, fisting his white t-shirt, and pulling him closer to her. They kissed playfully, biting each other's lips and laughing, their joy apparent. Victoire lay down, Teddy on top of her, and they continued kissing, his tongue inserting itself into her mouth, and after sometime, the playfulness of their kisses became passion. Teddy cupped Victoire's breasts over her tanktop, and she moaned into his mouth, pulling his t-shirt so he could take it off.

His shirt was discarded in an instant, and then he pulled down Victoire's pajama shorts at the same time he pulled down her panties. She was naked from the waist down. He massaged her sex, a finger rubbing her clit. She squirmed under his touch, her legs twitching with anticipation. Pregnancy, Victoire was about to discover, made sex so much better.

"Let me take this off." she pleaded, trying to sit down so she could remove her tanktop.

"Stay like that." he said, trying to keep kissing her and taking off his pajama bottoms at the same time. It was proving ineffective, as he was writhing in a comical way.

"It feels weird. Let me take it off." she said again, now helping him with his pants too. The result was a mass of limbs that was desperately trying to remove clothes. Victoire finally managed to sit up and swiftly removed her tanktop. She had nothing underneath it. She pushed Teddy down the mattress and quickly took charge of the situation. She stripped him out of his pants, his member instantly springing up. Victoire grabbed his penis, stroking up and down, with delicacy at first, and then more roughly. He huffed and moaned and closed his eyes in the obvious pleasure he was receiving. Teddy only opened his eyes to momentarily glance at his wife, at the lustful eyes she had, and the way she kept licking her lips.

He was about to ask her to use her mouth, because even though Victoire had become an expert in handjobs over the years, he was more a fan of her blowjobs, but just as his mouth opened up to say it, she moved, straddling him and aligning her hips to his, guiding his stiff member into her folds.

"Already?" he asked, surprised, grabbing her hips to help her support her weight.

"I can't wait any longer." she said with a smile, and downed her hips even more, introducing him inside her. They both moaned, Victoire moving her hips in a circular fashion before starting the familiar up and down movement. Teddy squeezed her hips, moving her faster, sliding her with roughness, increasing the pace until both of them were panting and huffing and almost screaming in pleasure.

"Ah," Victoire kept shouting. "Ah, yes! Don't stop!"

Teddy couldn't even form words, his mind was not thinking verbally, he was just feeling and grunting and emitting unintelligent sounds that made him feel almost animalistic. He had never seen Victoire that turned on, her face contorted and her boobs bouncing wildly, she was scratching the skin of his chest and he could almost feel it tearing under her fingernails.

"Ah!" she exclaimed loudly, tossing her head back. "I'm cumming! Don't stop!"

Teddy felt her muscles contract around his penis, and her whole form spasmed. She was a beautiful sight, and hearing her moans and looking at her whole body glowing under her orgasm tipped him over the edge. He came inside her just as the last waves of pleasure were roaming her body.

"That was…" she said, out of breath, getting off Teddy so she could lay down. "incredible!"

"It was brilliant." he said softly, his chest heaving in a painful way, his limbs didn't respond him, his whole being spent.

"That was the first time I came in that position." she said snuggling closer to him. "Or with that intensity for that matter."

The room was completely lit with the morning sun, the sun rays sprawled over their naked bodies, heating up the room. Teddy got Victoire inside his arms and kissed the top of her head.

"It looked amazing too." he said chuckling. Victoire blushed at his words, but a playful smile crept to her mouth.

"We should do it again!" she said.

"I can't." Teddy said, still smirking. "I'm spent. We'll have to wait."

"Hurry up, then!" she said, laughing.

"Is this a pregnancy thing?" he asked, laughing too.

"I think so…" she said, kissing his nose, and then quickly his lips.

"I'm going to enjoy this, then." Teddy hugged her closer. "All of it."

"I love you." she said, snuggling even closer.

"I love you too, Vic." he said, and then he caressed her stomach. "Both of you."

Teddy kissed again the top of her hair, and rested his chin over her head. He was incredibly happy, the happiest he had ever been, and he couldn't believe his happiness was about to be doubled. There was not a thing in the world that could ruin his happiness, and as both their bodies relaxed, and he heard Victoire's soft breathing telling him she had fallen asleep again, he understood exactly what love was about.

The end.

 **A/N: Hello! I want to take some time to thank you all for reading this. If you have made it to this point, I want to tell you that you're an awesome person and I thank you so much for supporting me. To my reviewers, thank you soooo much for taking your time to write your opinion about this. All comments were special and they made me feel like an accomplished author.**

 **Also, I wanted to say that English is not my first language (I'm a native spanish speaker) so I wanted to apologize for any mistakes I may have made in spelling or grammar, I try to proofread as much as possible before uploading, but mistakes tend to evade my eye once in awhile. So please forgive me if your reading experience was ruined because of it. I'll try to improve on it on my next stories.**

 **As you might have noticed, I uploaded too a last chapter named "Author's note", and is basically a rambling of why I wrote this piece and my inspiration for it. You may skip it if you like as it is not part of the story anymore, but I wrote it because I wanted to share my opinion with all of you.**

 **Stay tuned, because I'm planning some more stories in the next future, and thank you sooo much for liking this one.**

 **Lots of love,**

 **ShellCottage.**


	19. Author's note

19\. Author's note

Hello, my readers.

As I said before, this chapter basically is me explaining about the story and the characters and all that came into my mind when I was writing this. You may skip it if you like.

So basically, this story was inspired by two not so recent books (two apart from Harry Potter, obviously): the first one was "Emma" by Jane Austen. When I first started writing this, I had just finished it for the very first time, it was one of the few Jane Austen's novels I had not read and as I was on summer vacation, I decided to give it a try. I loved the plot (the narrative not so much as I think it was kind of dragging with all that unnecessary dialogue) and I instantly fell in love with Mr. Knightley, as something very similar happened to me with my boyfriend: we were best friends through high school and started dating in college when we realised we had feelings for each other and we've been together (and happy) ever since. So I was instantly in love with the plot and I realised that I had never written a story like that, so I immediately thought about Victoire and Teddy for it.

The second book which inspired me to write this fiction was "Grey" by E.L. James. Yes, I know, it's not exactly compatible with the other reference previously mentioned. I have to admit that when the "Fifty Shades" books came out I read them all in one sitting (I was a sophomore in high school) and I found them okay. But recently (around the time I read "Emma") a friend of mine who's a true fan of the books told me to read "Grey", and because it was a lazy summer vacation and I had nothing better to do, I did. I cannot begin to say how messed up (and boring) I found the whole thing to be. The sex was okay, in fact, (even the first time I read the books) I found the sex to be more in the milder side of the spectrum, I had previously read erotic literature and "Fifty Shades" was nothing new to the genre. What I considered messed up was the whole Christian/Ana relationship. More than once I considered the characters comical and unrealistic, and I was terrified that some people considered it under "relationship goals". I was disgusted.

So I wanted to do something like that, but with Ana (Victoire) choosing the healthier relationship and realising that what she had with Christian (Nott) was not only unhealthy, but stupid. So I had Nott mirroring Christian Grey: the playboy attitude, the complete lack of respect towards women, the damaged emotional side, and of course the sex god aura. I wanted her to have the temptation of a physical relationship, of being "forced" into it because of curiosity and fear and then realising how stupid that was. In the beginning Victoire almost throws herself at Teddy trying to make him look, and she does with Nott trying desperately to feel loved. But by the end of the story, she knows who she is, and what she values, and even though Nott is still trying to pull her back, she realises Teddy is so much better for her.

I've never considered myself a feminist, the truth is I didn't really cared that much, but after reading "Grey" and writing this story, I realised I'm so much more feminist than what I had thought at the beginning.

Thank you for reading, and thank you so much for liking the story. It was an exercise of self knowledge and discovery, and I think I grew up emotionally because of it.

-ShellCottage.


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